


Faded Memories

by Gamersweetheart



Category: Bleach
Genre: Angst, F/M, Molestation, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 03:13:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18002738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamersweetheart/pseuds/Gamersweetheart
Summary: "It's okay. It's over now." Ichigo said while wrapping his arms around Orihime as she shook with terror. "No, it's not. It hasn't even begun."





	1. Missing

**Author's Note:**

> Do not own Bleach and trigger warning for molestation and domestic violence.

Monday

"Inoue, Orihime?"

…

"No Inoue-chan today? Hmmm... Kojima, Mizuiro?"

"Present"

"Kurosaki, Ichigo?"

"Yeah."

The teacher sent Ichigo a disapproving glance before continuing with roll call. Once she finished, class started as it did everyday with one person missing. Inoue Orihime. This was unusual considering she was normally early for school, ready to socialize with her friends and enjoy her school day. In fact, the only time she missed class was due to soul society, or more specifically, their enemies getting in the way or she was sick. When sick, the young woman always called the school and Tatsuki so no one would worry over her. One of the girl's biggest fear was being a burden to others. So she did everything in her power to keep that from happening.

Ichigo, Chad, Uryu, and Chizuru all turned towards Tatsuki to see if she heard from their friend. Pulling out her phone, the dark-haired teen sent a quick text, asking if Orihime was okay or if she accidentally overslept. After about 20mins with no response, Tatsuki made eye contact with them one by one to shake her head no. They went back to their lessons intending to talk at lunch.

This was the first red flag for the group of friends.

Everyone, including the staff, knew how much education meant to Orihime. She had no idea if she'd be able to attend university or not so Orihime was determined to get as much out of the free education system as humanly possible. She did everything in her power to make her brother proud. She wouldn’t let his sacrifice be wasted on her not giving the education offered to her all she could.

A few long hours later the lunch bell _finally_ rang, the student body jumped at the sound and made their way outside to enjoy the sunny day while the five worried friends stayed behind to talk. Ichigo was getting antsy when a few of their classmates weren't leaving quick enough for his liking and his reiatsu showed it. Thankfully that little push was all the girls needed to rush out of the classroom and close the door behind them.

"Finally! So, what did Inoue say?" He stood by the door, arms crossed, ready to hear why their friend would worry them all.

' _If she says anything about those little blue men, I'm going to be pissed.'_ Ichigo thought while knowing he could never truly be angry at her.

"She never responded to my text. I sent her three... Is something going on? Can you... you know, feel her?" Tatsuki was a bit worried that no one knew what was going on with Orihime. The only time she went missing like this was when Soul Society had something to do with it. Tatsuki _always_ ended up being the last to know.

Uryu closed his eyes, he'd been tracking her the whole class but wanted to make sure she was in the same place before he spoke up. Immediately after giving away her location the rash orange haired man would jump out of this body and take off without coming up with a plan.

"She's currently at home but her spiritual pressure is off... I'm not sure what to think about it."

"Well let's go see what the hell she's doing." Ichigo hollered as he quickly hit his badge to his chest, letting his body slide down the wall to the floor. While the substitute soul reaper ran from roof to roof towards their friend's apartment.

"What are we waiting for?! My Hime needs me!" Chizuru was about to follow her rival for Orihime's love when surprisingly, Chad of all people stopped her.

"He'll get to her and be back soon." The tall man grabbed his lunch and sat down to eat while the others slowly joined him. Ichigo may be hard headed but he'd never do anything to hurt the gentlewoman; plus, they all knew he was the one-person Orihime would want to see over anyone if she was sick.

"Fine." The perverted teen sighed, pulling out her lunch she waited for her Hime to come back with the brut.

Rushing over to her place, it didn't take the impatient man long to reach his goal. He ran up the steps and knocked on her door. He was a little worried she wasn't already at the door since she was excellent at reading reiatsu. When she didn't answer, he banged on the door and yelled her name. Ichigo was planning to go through her bedroom window when the front door cracked open. All Ichigo could see was part of her face, but that was enough. She looked really upset. Her normally beautiful porcelain skin looked pasty, her stormy eyes that were always full of life were dull and red. The poor boy didn't even get a chance to speak before she ended any conversation they could have had.

"Kurosaki-kun? I'm sorry but I'm not feeling well. Could I call when I'm better?"

' _What the hell?'_ Ichigo was stunned. He wasn't sure how sick she truly was but it must be pretty bad if she was basically telling him to leave. Orihime didn't even ask why he came by!

Ignoring the second red flag of the day, Ichigo dumbly nodded and watched as she quietly shut the front door and heard the lock click into place. He slowly turned and made his way back to school to tell the others what happened. The trip back seemed to go a lot faster than his trip to her apartment, that could be due to his thoughts though. The whole way back to school he went over all the things wrong with the interaction they just had.

She didn't greet him with a warm smile and hello.

She didn't invite him in or ask why he was there.

She actually told him to leave, it may have been phrased as a question but there was no way around the fact, she wanted him gone.

He didn't even see all of her but she did look and act unusual.

Her eyes... Ichigo loved looking into her large, grey eyes. They always made him feel special with the warmth she'd offer him, so loved.

It wasn't until that moment he realized how much he counted on that look. She looked at him today like he was anyone off the street! Ichigo wouldn't realize why it hurt him so much at the moment but currently, he had other things to worry about.

For example, getting back to his body before lunch was over.

The irritated man barely made it back before the warning bell rang. He quickly shoved as much food as he could in his mouth before he cleaned off his desk and got ready for the lesson. The group of friends watched him, waiting for any sign that she was sick or overslept. When it became clear they wouldn't get any, Tatsuki finally called him out.

"Well? Is she okay?"

"She said she's sick. She'll call when she's feeling better." The others took his response with a nod and focused on the next lesson, Ichigo couldn't shake the bad feeling he had in his gut. Something wasn't right but he had no proof on the subject. He wouldn't worry anyone until he knew more, Ichigo just hoped she'd call soon and this whole thing would be over.

Tuesday

"Inoue Orihime?"

…

"Has anyone heard from Inoue-chan?"

"Yeah, she's sick. I saw her yesterday." Ichigo vaguely answered. Their teacher gave him a nod before going back to roll call to start the day. Normally he wouldn't be one to talk but everyone loved her, she'd be so ashamed if anyone worried over her. Plus, it was his job to protect her, even when it meant covering for her so she could rest and not worry about others.

When the lunch bell rang, their teacher stopped Ichigo from leaving. "Kurosaki-kun? Could you please wait here?"

With a groan, he stopped packing up his stuff. Ichigo was fairly certain he didn't do anything to cause the teacher to talk to him.

Uryu gave him a smirk as he walked past Ichigo, said orange haired man planned to get him back later for that. _'Damn Quincy. Probably set me up.'_

Once everyone was out, their teacher spoke again. "When you saw Inoue-chan, did she look okay? It's very odd she didn't inform us that she was ill."

"Yeah, I mean she didn't look great but said she'd call me when she was feelin' better."

"Okay, enjoy the rest of your lunch, Kurosaki-kun. I'm glad she's found someone to care for her."

"Uh what? Wait no!"

The teacher left him while she giggled at his reaction.

Ichigo packed up his bag and headed towards the roof to eat with his friends all the while trying to get his blushing to go down. He couldn't help but wonder why the teacher would ask and why was she now laughing at him!

**Something's not right. We should check on Queeny again.**

' _Ugh. Go away. She said she'd call, I'm not going to show up like a creeper every day.'_

He agreed with his hollow but he agreed. Something just didn't feel right but he'd give her today if no one heard from her tomorrow he'd go over there again and demand to come in.

**Yeah... Not creepy at all, King.**

Wednesday

Three days. It had been three whole days with no word. Hell, the teacher skipped her name on roll call! Now Ichigo was getting irritated, how hard was it to send a quick text saying "Hey, still sick so don't worry." He knew he was being stubborn but being angry was easier than being scared.

Third red flag for Ichigo was the fact this was the longest Orihime and Tatsuki had gone without talking, ever.

Ichigo and Orihime shared a bond with how much they trusted and cared for the strong dark-haired woman. When people say she's strong it's not just physical. She was mentally strong as well, it took a lot to worry about her but she was stressed. Ichigo got a call from Tatsuki this morning stating she'd sent over 20 text messages and called a dozen times with no luck. Everyone could still feel her spiritual pressure at her house so they knew it wasn't anything otherworldly. Ichigo even demanded the soul reaper in town send someone to talk to him this morning. He was still waiting but figured if they could confirm nothing was going on then that would be one less thing to worry about.

Ichigo and Tatsuki weren't the only ones concerned. Uryu and Chad both stopped by their missing friend's apartment but neither told anyone yet, they all agreed to wait so she could reach out to them. The two males were only staying calm because her spiritual pressure told them she was alive in her apartment. She must just be really sick for her to stop answering everyone.

Lunch on the roof consisted of the usual gang, plus two new additions. Both were uneasy and demanded to have an open conversation about what they all knew in regards to Orihime. It was truly amazing how much one person brought everyone together.

"So, the last time I spoke to Orihime was Sunday, before she went to work. We had a sleepover Saturday night and she was fine. I haven't felt ill at all. I really doubt she could be sick enough to not communicate with any of us! She's not even texting! We've never gone this long without talking. If she truly was that bad then she needs to be in a hospital, not sitting at home alone!”

"I must agree with Arisawa-san." Uryu pushed his glasses back up. "I visited Inoue-san this morning but she didn't answer the door. I did, however, hear movement inside."

"I went by last night, but no luck," Chad added on.

**I told you! Something's going on. I can feel it, if you don't care then I'll handle it myself.** Ichigo's hollow wasn't as naive about their feelings for the young woman as his king was.

"My Hime would never worry us like this! We need to break the door down and save her!"

"Shut up, Chizuru. We're all worried and for the last time, she isn't yours." Tatsuki snapped. "I'm going over after school today and using my emergency key. This is getting ridiculous."

"That's a good idea. Tatsuki can let us all know what's going on tonight. When I saw her Monday, she looked off and rushed me away but I didn't see anything out of the norm." Ichigo really hoped this would all be over with. Not only did he miss her but his stomach had been in knots since Monday. He stopped by her place at night well a few times each night, and during the early morning hoping she'd come to the door or walk past a window but she never did. Not once.

Said substitute soul reaper stayed on auto piolet the rest of the day. He kept checking his phone, expecting a text from Tatsuki explaining the "little blue men" took her phone but it never came. Around eight o'clock at night, Ichigo was getting his shoes on to find Tatsuki, who wasn't answering her phone either when I knock sounded at the front door.

Ichigo opened the door to see his oldest friend standing there, trying not to cry. _'What the hell happened?'_

"Tatsuki?"

"Where's your dad?" She demanded with a little waver in her voice.

"In his clinic, come on."

The two walked silently to his father. The walk through the living room, to the kitchen, and past the hallway towards the clinic in a walk that felt like the walk of doom. Why wouldn't she feel comfortable talking to him? Did something happen with Inoue? Did either of them get hurt? Why wasn't she talking?! The exasperated teen was thrilled to see his father. Now he'd get some answers.

"Tatsuki-chan! What's wrong? Did Ichigo do something stupid?"

"Oi! Shut up!"

"No, it's important. Isshin-san, do you have any connections with the police?" Her voice was dead serious, killing any fight the father, son pair might have had instantly.

"I have a few friends, why?"

"I went to see Orihime and my key worked but there's a new chain lock on the door. I called for her thinking she'd come to answer since it's been three whole days of no communication, outside of Ichigo seeing her Monday during lunch, but she never came to the door! An older man did! You don't think he found her, do you?" The young woman was on the verge of tears. Her arms wrapped around her midsection to stop her from falling apart as she spoke.

"Now, now, I doubt he'd even be looking for after all this time. It doesn't make any sense. He could have been her uncle. What did he say?" Isshin was very careful not to let his concerns show.

"He smiled at me and said Orihime was under the weather and he took her phone so she'd rest. He said she'd call me as soon as she was feeling better."

"So, he was friendly?" The older man reiterated.

Tatsuki nodded.

"Then I bet it was her uncle. I'll call one of my friends in the morning and see what he thinks but I don't want any of you going over there again. We don't want to upset the man or stress Inoue-chan out. You know how she can be. Before you argue, I'll have Ichigo fill you in on what he says and what the plan is. Don't worry, I care for young Orihime-chan as well. She's the only hope I have to get this punk out of my house! Won't they have adorable babies?"

"What the fuck! Can't you just be normal for one moment?!" The blushing teen responded, effectively ending the tension in the room.

"What? She's the only female I know that you still call by her last name. Why is that hmmm? (He wiggled his eyebrows) Why do you blush when I talk about he-"

Isshin was cut off by a roundhouse kick to the face.

"Kamis, you're so annoying! Come on, I'll walk you out and deal with him later."

' _Annoying ass man. Does he even think before he talks?! As if Inoue and I would ever live together... Or make babies'_

His hollow chuckled darkly then sent a wave of images on how they'd make said, babies. Needless to say, Ichigo took a cold shower that night.

Thursday

School went by the same as the previous day. The only difference was the group of friends met on the roof so Ichigo could fill them in before school started. Shinji was the one who came to talk about Inoue. The blond made a huge deal over "his true love" being sick and offered to keep her warm at night. This, of course, leads to them fighting.

Once both males were sweaty and sore, Shinji confirmed there was nothing going on at soul society but if they heard anything, he'd let the younger man know. He also asked to be updated on what was going on with their favorite healer. Many members of soul society were worried.

The next update Ichigo had for everyone was from his dad. Isshin followed through with his plan and contacted his friend. The officer said there wasn't any reason to file a missing person report nor do a well check on the girl but he'd look in on her Friday after his shift to ease his friend's mind. That made all the teens feel better.

Ichigo was stuck at work _forever_ , he didn't get home till midnight. Why he chose to work with such an annoying man was beyond him. Well, until he needed to leave his body at a moment's notice, then he remembered why he was stuck at this annoying job.

_'Damn hollows.'_

**_Watch it._ **

The good part about working so late was his dad wouldn't be over the top and attack him as soon as he walked in. Unlocking the door, Ichigo kicked off his shoes and threw his jacket on the coat rack before dragging his feet towards the kitchen to see what Yuzu left for him to eat. He was starving!

"There you are, my son!" Isshin came down the stairs when he heard his son walk in, enjoying any chance to bug the boy.

His only response was a grunt from the tired teen. He watched his son heat up his dinner before sitting down at the table, Isshin wanted to fill Ichigo in on the plan for tomorrow but gave him time to eat and destress first. Once Ichigo was finished with his meal, Isshin started to explain the plan.

"Tomorrow, Ryo said he'd go to Inoue-chan's apartment and see if she opens the door. If not, he'd say he needs to see her for himself due to safety concerns. Did you want to be there when he does?"

"Yeah, what time?"

"After 6 but my guess would be around 7. Gives him time to clock out and pick us up. Remember, you need to be calm. No being rash and yelling at people."

Ichigo was about to respond some smart-ass comment to his father when the two generations of Kurosaki's eyes met in horror. Orihime's spiritual pressure raised before dropping to the point they could barely feel her.

Ichigo ran to his room, swallowing Kon and rushing back down to his dad. Isshin told his soul candy to bring his body and medical bag to Orihime's place in the car. Isshin and Ichigo rushed across rooftops, making it to her front door within a few minutes.

Isshin knocked on the door but there was no response.

Both went through her living room window to find the place dark. Whatever was going on gave both Kurosaki's a horrible feeling.

"Inoue?!" Ichigo called out, his voice wavered a bit but the small whine they heard was all they needed to rush towards her bedroom.

Ichigo flipped the light switch to see a sight he'd never forget.

 


	2. Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may seem a little OOC for Ichigo but this is a different kind of situation. This isn't a fight he can pick up a sword and win. I was hoping for more interest in this story but maybe it'll pick up with another chapter. I'm hoping it's okay, please let me know if there's anything I can do to make it better!

Kon was minding his own business, surfin' the web for hotties to look at. It was truly amazing how much you could find nowadays! Not only was Ichigo's school full of babes but this computer could give him everything he needed to die a happy soul. Sadly, the plush lion was unable to continue exploring when Ichigo threw the door open, his spiritual pressure going wild around him. "Wha-"

The crazed teenager ripped Kon's soul candy out of the lion and swiftly swallowed it. As he ran back down the stairs, Ichigo yelled over his shoulder, "Tell the others to meet us here and join my Dad's body to Inoue's!"

Now normally Kon would take his sweet time, go trollin' for babes but this was different. Ichigo seemed panicked when he rushed in with a frantic look on his face. Kon knew if he wanted to live, he better do what Ichigo said.

By the time Kon grabbed a jacket and threw some socks on, Isshin's soul candy was packed with the car running; waiting for his "son."

Kon was about to ask what was going on when Ichigo's phone started to ring.

"Hello? Sexiest man on Earth speaking."

"Kon? This is Uyru, where is Kurosaki?"

"He's on his way to Inoue's. He said to have everyone meet here. Prob. Best to meet at the clinic." The soul answered the best he could.

"I see. I shall call the others and met them there. Call if anything changes."

_Click_

"Wow! He's so rude! He didn't even say goodbye to me. No wonder him and Ichigo fight so much, they're the same." Both souls laughed as they made their way towards Inoue Orihime's apartment, wondering what they'd find.

Once they were close to the healer's home, Kon called 119 to make sure the Kuroskakis had their bodies before the police arrived.

This was going to be a long night.

...

"How long do we wait? We've been here for half an hour already." Chizuru was trying not to freak out. She really was but no matter how many jokes people made about her love for the beautiful woman, Chizuru truly did care for Orihime. This week of not being able to talk to her was pure hell. School wasn't the same without her friend's bright smile, positive attitude, and silly lunches. Orihime knew more about her than anyone else did. She acted like a prev at times, but she'd never cross the line to make her best friend uncomfortable.

Chizuru also knew her feelings would never be returned but it was okay if Orihime was okay. There was just something about the young woman that pulled everyone in and changed their lives for the better. She was trying her best to not break down, so anger was her only option at the moment.

"When I spoke to Kon, he indicated they were on the way to her place. They still need to speak to whoever shows up as far as assistance, before they can bring her here." Ishida was also on edge, but no one needed to know that.

Chad and Tatsuki were sitting in the waiting room. Neither spoke since arriving, not that it was unusual for the large man but Tatsuki didn't seem to leave his side. Normally, this was cause for some, if not all their friends to comment. They currently had more important things on their mind, so they were safe, for now.

It took a full hour and a half for the three to arrive. The clinic doors slammed open as Isshin carried Orihime close to him and dashed into the first exam room.

"Father?" Uryu questioned as Ryuken raced through the doors next but Uryu received no response.

Ichigo was next to enter, with a police officer, the same that was planning on checking on Orihime for them that night.

"Ichigo, come on." The blond man made the stunned teen sit down while they waited for his dad to come out with the news.

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki timidly called out.

"He's in shock. He'll be okay." Ryo answered for him; knowing the orange haired teen wouldn't answer his friends any time soon.

The high schoolers sat in silence while they waited for news. Ichigo kept going over what he saw in his head like it was a movie stuck on repeat. He was ready to kill someone, but he couldn't. How do you handle something like this? How the hell could he help her? And why the hell couldn't he function?! It was as if his brain shut down and he couldn't get it to tell his body to move, let alone talk. Hell, even his hollow was silent.

No one knew how much time passed before Isshin came out to talk to the teens, but everyone was thrilled to finally have some news. No matter what it was.

"Isshin, before you speak to them, I'm going to need your official medical statement." Ryo didn't want Isshin to say anything before the statement, so his case couldn't be hurt at a later date. This was one victim Ryo didn't want to let down.

"Of course, please follow me to my office." Isshin and Ryuken lead the way to give their statements while the teens were dumbfounded. Isshin never ignored them, that was one reason why they all loved him. He treated them like adults.

Ichigo wasn't waiting for them to talk though, he made his way toward Inoue's room.

Opening the plain white door, the group of friends found their favorite healer lying in bed. The light cream walls and white bedding caused her dirty, matted hair to stick out like a sore thumb. Her normally light skin that glowed with life was now ghostly white. The tube in her mouth made something in the young man break like it did the day his mother was taken from him.

"Inoue." His broken whisper received no response. He sat by her side in the chair left there. As he looked at her face, the whole left side was bruised and swollen. Her back eye made her sunken eyes stand out more than they already did.

"Why is her neck bandaged?" The dark-haired woman question with tears in her eyes. Orihime was covered from her shoulders down but it was already clear whatever happened, it was serious.

"She won't be waking up for a while." Isshin signed and ran his hand through his hair as he stood in the doorway.

"Look, I understand you all care for her but I can't tell you what's going on. This is a legal issue now." Isshin knew it would piss them off and Orihime-chan didn't have any family nearby but with the police involved he couldn't risk it. The doctor could see the others about to respond so he lifted his hand to stop them. "I'll call her aunt and get the okay to discuss it with you. Now, you may stay, but be quiet." With that, Isshin left to call Orihime's aunt to fill her in and get approval to tell her friends.

A little while later, Kurosaki-san came back in with an update.

"Inoue-san has given me permission to tell you the basics of Orihime-chan's condition. I don't want any interruptions until I'm done, please." He waited for each teen to nod, minus Ichigo who still hadn't moved a muscle from his spot next to the gentlewoman.

"She has a fractured cheekbone, severe rope burns to her wrists and ankles, puncture wounds on her neck from the dog collar they made her wear, bruising along her face, neck, arms, rips, and legs. She had a couple of broken ribs which lead to her lung collapsing. I believe her powers kept her alive, Orihime-chan knew if she healed herself, she would be putting herself and us in risk for exposure. Her reiatsu spike must have been when they fixed her lung then died out because she's so weak. There is... there are signs of molestation-"

The younger Kurosaki was on his feet in an instant. He threw his chair against the far wall before turning towards the door, ready to punch the wall or hunt down whoever hurt Orihime. Isshin stepped in to stop his son. He dodged each and every punch that came his way until he found an opening to put Ichigo into a headlock.

"Stand down, son."

Ichigo struggled a while longer before he gave in.

"Now, as I was saying, she was severely dehydrated and starving. Her organs started shutting down, she's only alive because of her powers, they took over when each organ started shutting down."

"How bad is it?" Chizuru asked.

"I won't lie to you, it's at the point where all her EC (extracellular compartment) cells and organelles moved to water elsewhere to try and save the body. Think of them as grapes but now raisins. I'm sorry but I don't know when she'll wake or what she'll be like once she does. I do think you should each speak to her before saying goodnight. You can come back in the morning, I'll drive you all home when you're ready." Isshin walked out of the room, trying his hardest to hold his own tears at bay.

Each teen took their turn speaking to her sleeping form. Wishing her well, and a speedy recovery. Once Isshin was done speaking to social services, he came back and took all the tight knit group of friends home to try and rest. Ichigo refused to move even once from the healer's side after his break down.

Returning to the clinic, Isshin found his son still sitting by the young woman's bed.

"Ichigo?"

“...”

"Ichigo, come on son. You need some rest." When he placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder, the young man finally spoke.

"I, I just stood there. I didn't do anything for her." It was a whisper, a confession.

Isshin knelt next to his son and spoke softly. "It's normal. Everyone has that flight or fight response but there is also freeze. It wasn't like war, this was a woman you care deeply for who was hurt. You did what you had to, to survive what you were seeing."

"I thought she was dead. Look at her!" He stood up causing the second chair clattering to the ground with tears starting to fall down his face as rage took over.

"I know, trust me. We have to do this the right way so we can lock up the man who did this to her."

Isshin watched his son shake, trying to hold all these emotions at bay but took him into a hug. Squeezing while Ichigo tried to fight it until he caved.

Pain, fear, anger, it all came out while in the safety of his father's arms.

Isshin held his son while he cried, trying to hold in his own tears but failing. The whole situation brought up his memories of his late wife's last night on Earth. The pain he never wanted his son to go through again.

"Is she going to make it? Will she be okay?" His words were hard to understand through the emotion thick in Ichigo's voice but Isshin understood.

"That's a hard answer. She'll live but I don't know if she'll be okay. The Orihime-chan we all know and love may not come back." Ichigo grabbed his dad's shirt crying harder at the answer while his dad kept telling him they'd figure it out.

Many lives were changed tonight. Only time would tell if things could ever be normal again.

 


	3. Fault

**Isshin's POV**

I was just finishing my rounds when my office phone started ringing. I dashed down the hall to reach it before it could go to voicemail. I worried it could be about Orihime-chan.

"Kurosaki Clinic, Dr. Kurosaki speaking."

"This is Inoue Ann, Orihime's aunt."

"Good afternoon Inoue-san. I was planning on calling you-"

"Is she okay?! Did something happen?" Her voice wavered as she spoke her fears about her niece.

"Everything is normal. I was just going to inform you that Orihime-chan will be getting the breathing tube removed soon. I checked her earlier today and her lungs are functioning, she should be able to breathe on her own."

"Oh, thank goodness! I need to speak to you. It's urgent and normally I wouldn't say anything, but Orihime trusts you. Please, what I need to tell you is something you can't tell anyone. Not even the police."

I couldn't think of what she'd need to tell me about Orihime. As a doctor, I had access to all her medical records and I wasn't sure if she knew our children were dating yet. I decided to trust the woman and give her my word. After everything that young woman did for us, the least I could do for Orihime was trust her aunt with whatever she was about to confess to me.

"You have my word."

"Please don't hate us. Orihime felt horrible about never telling the truth, she even asked me when her and your son started dating if she could tell him but I wouldn't allow it. I'm sorry but I don't know him or your family and I didn't want something to happen in a messy break up that could hurt her..." Her breathing started to change, I could tell she was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check. I was about to ask her what she was talking about when she spoke up, making my blood run cold.

"I'm not her legal guardian."

Praying I heard wrong, I asked my next questions or tried to. "Wait, what? Who is?"

She took a deep, calming breath as I sat down. There was no way I could handle what she was about to say standing up.

"Her father. When Sora took her, I didn't know. I didn't even know my sister had children, let alone a husband until they called me asking for money to find their children. I said no, I felt horrible but I couldn't trust anything she said. You have to understand, once she hit 14, she was always going out, drugs, men, I just couldn't keep her in my life. I decided to keep tabs on our name though. When I saw Sora passed away and the story of a little girl let orphaned, I checked into it. Orihime looks just like her mother, I knew it was true. I told my husband and flew over. It was easy to get the police to think I was her guardian with how similar we look. Once I had her I offered for her to move in with me and my family. She said no, she couldn't leave the only place she ever considered a home nor would she impose on us. We agreed to have me on the lease and she'd stay here but if she ever got into trouble or her grades dropped at all, she would be moving in with me. I hated it, I didn't like the idea of leaving a little girl on her own but I couldn't take her without her consent. It was already kidnapping if I took her, at least if she came with me on her own, we could fight the law. I'm so sorry."

My heart broke as the woman I never even met started crying. She asked for a moment to calm down but I also needed a moment. If her father was her guardian my only hope would be to find her mother and convince her to get full custody then give up her rights. Hell, I'd pay for all of it if it saved Orihime. The fact her father could come in at any moment and take her made me want to vomit.

"I'm sorry, I thought that would be easier after how much I practiced. My sister died a couple of months ago, overdose. I know she made all the money by selling her body. If Orihime was found I know what for. My sister and her husband planned to keep her pure so they could sell her at a high price. With my sister gone, I have a feeling her deadbeat husband is coming for her. We have four months until she turns 18. He can't find her before then, please, let her run. In the time it takes him to prove she's his daughter and he has full custody she can be long gone."

"You want me to let her run away?! She won't be able to walk, let alone be on her own for weeks! Her health is too poor to be away from a hospital. She needs-"

"SHE NEEDS TO RUN! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? How horrible this is, right now, it's much better than what her life will be if he gets his hands on her. My sister did one motherly thing in her whole life. She never gave them his name, nor did she put him on their birth certificates. I looked them up once I found out about Orihime. It's the only way I know to keep her safe. Send her to me! I'll do what I was too scared to do before."

"I don't want him to touch her; hell, I'd go to the courts myself to stop this but she can't leave. I'm sorry but we're talking severe concussion, she's being woken every few hours, her reactions will be sluggish. Her cheekbone is fractured causing her a lot of pain, swelling, bruising, jaw pain, not only did it cause a black eye but moment in that eye will cause her pain. Her rope burns are bad, they are on her wrists, ankles, and neck has punctures from a dog's chock collar. Need I go on? She has bruising of handprints on her arms, right elbow, thighs, knee, and her right knee has a torn MCL. She can't walk right now. Her broken ribs are going to give her trouble breathing! From the little we got from her it's clear she's gone 3 days without food or fluids, her organs started shutting down. All her EC cells, organelles, and tissues dehydrated to move water elsewhere to save her body. And that's just the start. You know she has all this plus the signs of molestation, how the hell is she going to run. I'm not trying to be a jerk but this can't work. We need a new plan."

"What if I marry her off myself? If I could find a nice man to marry her, they could get a divorce when she's 18. It would take him time to order a DNA test along with fighting her new rights with her husband. This could keep him busy long enough for her to heal and be legal."

"They'd come after you, for falsifying being her legal guardian."

"It would be worth it. I failed those children and we lost one. I won't let it happen to her."

I took a breath through my nose. I hate to say it but this might be our only hope. If we went to the police, we'd be admitting who her father is and if we tried to fight it, he could have custody until it was solved.

"Let me talk to someone I trust. He won't say a word and we can get back to you. I promise I'll keep you posted and call you by tonight. If this is what we have to do... I may know a few candidates to marry her. You know she won't like this. She'll fight it."

"I know, but she's 17."

We said goodbye and I laid my head down on my arms, on my desk. This was getting worse by the minute.

I only shut my eyes for what seemed like a moment but turns out it was a few hours. When I looked at the time, the clock showed 6:30 in the morning. I knew the girls would be up and I'd need to talk to them before they left for school. Man, I needed a drink.

I stood and made my way to the kitchen, making a large pot of coffee before the day continued as my girls came down the stairs for breakfast.

"Moring!" Yuzu chirped before she stopped and took a good look at me, this girl was just like her mother. I'd never been able to hide anything from my kids, while I loved we were so open and honest with each other for most things I just didn't have the energy to fake a smile.

"It's okay, I need to talk with you two. Something, something happened."

"What happened? Is Ichi-nii okay?" I could tell both girls were worried about their brother.

"Ichigo is fine, it's Orihime-chan. She was attacked and is in the clinic healing."

"Will she be okay? How is Ichi-nii taking it?" The young blonde was very concerned about the whole situation.

We all knew how much their brother cared for Orihime.

It was the shock of a lifetime when the twins came home from school a few months ago to find Ichigo and Orihime blushing as they stood close together. When their brother pulled her into his arms, burrowing his face into her neck, Karin sent me a picture right away then started recording it. I watched the video of my son pull back with a true smile on his face, one I haven't seen since his mother passed away, I knew he loved her. As I watched the video again, I noticed his eyes, Ichigo's eyes displayed the love he felt for her as they spoke in hushed tones. I couldn't have been happier to see him find someone so special in his life.

While they may have only been together a few months and they weren't even public with it I had no doubt in my mind if anything happens and they break up it would not only destroy Ichigo but the love of his life as well. I made myself concentrate, I need to answer Yuzu's question honestly but also keep it from ruining any innocence they had left.

"Physically? Yes, with time she'll be back to her old self. Mentally and emotionally? I'm not sure..." I wasn't sure what else to say. Being a doctor, I had experience delivering heartbreaking news but having it be your own family? That was completely different. I only hoped I'd never get enough experience with this to be good at it.

"If you two want, go ahead and stay home today. It's Friday anyway, maybe you could see if you can get your brother to leave her side? Clean up a bit? Eat? Anything." I cringed when I realized how defeated I sounded.

"You know he won't, but we'll try. Why don't you go shower and we'll watch the clinic." I was too tired to make a joke about Karin finally showing me affection. Instead, I nodded before heading up the stairs to wash the grime of today off me.

While I showered, the girls hurried off to the clinic and found a sleeping Ichigo holding Orihime's hand. By the time I was ready to go back to the clinic, Karin had taken over the clinic and Yuzu was checking on all my patients to see if they needed anything. I was a very lucky man to have such a wonderful family.

...

**Ichigo's POV**

_While Isshin was on the phone and with the girls..._

I kept replaying the events from last night, my brain just wouldn't let it drop for a damn minute. I was running across town, faster than I'd ever pushed myself before. I could barely feel her, whatever was going on, I was losing my Inoue.

When we reached her house, I watched Dad knock on her door but there was no response. I wasn't about to wait around, I quickly went in through the living room window. My dad quickly followed me into her dark apartment.

 _‘Fuck.’_ I couldn't hear anything past the pounding of my own heart.

"Inoue?" I didn't care my voice wavered, not when she needed me.

There was a tiny whine from her bedroom answering my call.

' _Gods please be okay._ ' I thought as we rushed through the door and I flipped on the lights. My whole body froze, my mind went blank.

Orihime was laying there, on the ground, her hair was a mess everywhere. It looked dirty and dry. There was a black tie around her eyes as a makeshift blindfold, her arms tied behind her back and feet tied together as well. Her mouth had a gag in it and I could just make out the chock collar some people put on their dogs.

I saw my father run to her. I could hear him tell her what he was doing to prevent her from getting even more scared. Slowly he took the gag out of her mouth and told her to keep her eyes closed while he takes the blindfold off. Once her whole face was visible, I could see how much damage someone did to her. I vagally heard him yelling at me. I could see his mouth moving, but it just didn't connect to my brain.

He hit me with a wave of spiritual pressure. I heard Orihime cry out, clearly terrified by the rise in power. That snapped me out of whatever was happening to me. I ran to the kitchen, getting a knife to cut her free. As I handed it to dad, I took a better look at my girl. She looked dead.

 _‘Why the hell weren't her powers there for her now?! Who the fuck dared touch her!?’_ I was losing control and saw the panic flash through my dad's eyes. I couldn't stop it, my reiatsu was slowly building around us, I didn't know what to do. My whole body was reacting and my brain couldn't get past the look on Orihime's face, there was nothing there! She was completely blank.

Her eyes were dead, her face battered, pail, and completely lifeless.

I didn't even notice when my hollow came up quickly within us and took over. Everything went dark for me until I saw my dad go with the officer into his office.

Now I'm sitting here, watching a fucking tube breath for her while she's completely dead to the world. I had failed her in the worst way. When I went to check on her Monday, I knew something was wrong. I knew it! But her sweet face told me it was okay and I walked away. What kind of boyfriend does that?! I knew I messed this up, that's why I waited so long to ask her out.

I knew I'd hurt her, but I had no idea my carelessness would destroy her. If I would have stepped up she'd be safe and none of this would have happened. It was completely my fault.

**For once, this isn't your fault King.**

_Just go away._

Amazingly he listened and went back to his spot in my inner world.

I sighed as I was left alone with my thoughts once again. I knew Inoue well enough to know she'd break up with me when she came too. She'd claim she was “ruined” now and “I deserve better” but that wasn't true at all! The reason it took us so long to even date was the risk of losing everything we had. The bond we shared was pure yet strong.

I had to make sure I was ready to be with her because Inoue was the kind of woman you keep; forever.

That's what I would be doing now, playing for keeps. The biggest hurdle for our relationship would be her own mind. I'd need to stay strong but also open up my feelings to her. The plan was simple, don't let her go without a fight and hope she doesn’t pull away.

My second plan was to find the person who did this to her and beat them till they couldn't move; no, breath without pain. Whoever took the light out of my Inoue's eyes would pay. I took her small hand in mine through the blanket and let sleep claim me. I needed to be ready when she woke up with a fresh mind.

 

**Isshin's POV**

It was around noon on Friday when I went to check on Ichigo and Orihime again. I still haven't slept, aside from my nap on my desk, but I didn't think I would any time soon. I've been so busy rushing Orihime to the clinic, healing her, reports, finding husbands for the poor girl, and trying to get my son to take care of himself.

I brought a spare blanket with me, hoping to make my stubborn son more comfortable. When I arrived at her door I knocked lightly before peeking in. I found my son asleep, his head on his arm that rested on her bed while his right hand held hers through the blanket. I quietly walked over and draped the blue cloth over his shoulders. Next, I double checked her vitals to make sure her Shun Shun Rikka healed her lung enough for her to breath on her own.

After my exam, I glance over to verify Ichigo was still asleep before I carefully removed her breathing tube. I wiped her face with a wet rag and waited to see how she handled breathing on her own. When I was certain she'd be okay, I left the room to wait for our guests to arrive.

I wish I could clean her up more but I knew she'd never be able to look at me the same if I gave her a sponge bath. Normally, I wouldn't care but Yoruichi would be here soon and I knew she'd help.

I hated how much pain she was in. If it wouldn't blow our secrets, I'd have her heal herself but that wasn't an option. Not if we wanted to save her from her father. She'd need the proof and lots of police checks to verify she wasn't safe with that monster.

It had already been a long day and sadly it was only going to get worse. I've never hated someone before, it just wasn't in me but this man, I could honestly say I hated him with every fiber of my being.

 

 


	4. Awake

_Rumble._

_Gasp! ‘Oh no! Please tummy-san, you have to be quiet or Daddy will get mad.’_

_Rumble._

_‘What do I do?! If he hears me, he’ll be mad but if he catches me getting food, he’ll also get mad. Oh Sora-nii, please feel better soon.’ I knew I couldn’t go to him since he’s still recovering from the last time Daddy got mad at us._

_Rumble, rumble_

_“WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU LITTLE BITCH!” That was my warning before his hand connected with my face._

_I tried to not cry out, I really did but I wasn’t ready for that blow. I was too caught off guard to stop my whimper and the tears running down my little, toddler face._

_“Are you crying? Do you want me to give you something to cry about?”_

_“No, Daddy-sama.” SMACK_

_“Don’t you EVER call me that.” He came closer to my face, getting down on my level before he spoke again. “Do you want to know something about daddies?”_

_I nodded, unsure what he’d say to me._

_“A Daddy wants their children. I’d be better off with both of you brats dead.”_

* * *

 

_“NO! Don’t hit him!!!! Please! He was getting the water for me.” I cried while trying to get my five-year-old body to pull him off Sora. He was being punched over and over because me. I just had to cry about my tummy hurting and how bad my throat hurt. Sora couldn’t stand me hurting so he tried to sneak into the bathroom to get me some water when he was caught._

_Now he was tied to his bed, on his tummy while Daddy was hitting him over and over again with the belt. I could hear the heated buckle hit his back and his screams would haunt me forever but he never told them it was my fault. He always protected me._

_“Oh, I’ll get to you next bitch.” Daddy’s smelly breath washed over me while he pushed me down. I felt pain in my head then everything went black._

* * *

 

_“Orihime! Come here now!” I her call out to me from my hiding spot in the broken closet. I immediately told her I was coming and rushed to the only bedroom in the apartment._

_“Yes, Mommy-sama!”_

_“Put this on and then come here so I can do your hair.” She handed me a package and pushed me away from her._

_When I got to the bathroom, I opened it carefully. This was the first time I had ever been given anything. Inside was a beautiful dark blue kimono. The white belt really made the look come together. I knew it was new by the feel of it, the big, ripped and stained shirt that I lived in was Daddy’s old one he didn’t want any more. This was perfect. I’ve never felt beautiful before this._

_As I slowly made my way back to their room, I realized it was finally happening! This had to prove it! They loved me. I couldn’t wait for her to do my hair like I always dreamed of her doing. It took me seven years to show them I’m wroth loving, I won't let this slip away from me._

_Inside their room, Daddy was there too. I kept my head bowed to not offend them and thanked them both for the honor to wear this kimono._

_“Thank you both so much for this beautiful kimono,” I whispered._

_“Don’t fuck it up, we’re returning it.”_

_I didn’t let Daddy’s words upset me if I only had it for a day it was more than I could ever dream of. Mommy started to work on my hair, she combed through it over and over until my long hair felt like silk. She braided it and wrapped it into a bun. Once she was done, Daddy cleaned off my face and sprayed something pretty smelling on me before he told me the rules._

_“Listen up, you will sit calm and quiet. You won’t speak at all, nor will you look up unless they ask you to. You better not fuck this up or there will be nothing stopping me from killing you.”_

_Once he was out of the room Mommy turned me around to talk to me. She didn’t come home much but when she did it was normally just to give Daddy money and clean me up a bit._

_“Orihime, please don’t upset him. We need this, do you understand?”_

_“Yes, Mommy-sama"_

_“Good girl, now go wait in the living room as he told you.”_

_I don’t know how long I sat there but finally, the doorbell rang. Daddy greeted some men and they came into the room._

_“Here she is; almost eight, pure, trained to be the perfect little wife.” Daddy told the men. I could see the different shoes walk by me, a few people touched my hair. The shoes looked so fancy! I had never seen shoes like these before._

_One man lifted my chin and spoke in a deep voice, “Look at me.”_

_I immediately did as he asked so I wouldn't upset him. He was handsome, not as old as Daddy but an adult._

_“Your eyes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen eyes like this before.” He let my chin drop and told Daddy he’d take me._

_‘Oh no! Sora-nii said if this happened it would be bad. But I can’t tell him, he left a couple days ago. Sora-nii, please come home.’_

* * *

 

**Beep beep beep beep...**

“Dad! Something’s going on with Inoue!” Ichigo shouted as the heart rate monitor kicked up. Her body was started to thrash a bit so he tried to hold the young woman’s arms to her side so she didn’t hurt herself.

When Isshin and Urahara came through the door, both men were shocked by what they saw.

“What’s wrong with her? She was fine a minute ago!” The poor teen was trying not to panic but what else could possibly go wrong with her?

“Medically she is fine...” Isshin was checking her out as Ichigo held her down by the arms. There was no medical reason for her to be having an episode such as this.

“If I may, I believe our little Orihime-chan is trapped in her mind. We need to wake her up, with her set of powers it’s possible she’ll never come out of whatever memory she’s trapped in. She could unknowingly reject the world of the living by mistake.” Urahara kept his face uncovered from his fan.

* * *

 

_“Orihime... Come on little one, wake up.” Sora-nii whispered to me while I was sleeping under the table. He’d been gone three whole days, which I know he hated but it must have been worth it if he was waking me up in the middle of the night. I knew I didn’t look too bad because I was able to keep to keep my head down as he told me to._

_“Sora-nii?” The younger me rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I couldn’t believe he was back! He told me he would be but I wouldn’t blame him one bit if he didn’t come back for me. He was a young adult and I was only seven. He’d be so much better off with me to worry about. We both knew it._

_“It’s me. Now you gotta be quiet, can you do that for me?” He kept eye contact with me the whole time so I knew how serious he was. I knew my wide eyes had a hint of fear to them but I still nodded and took his offered hand._

_He pulled my scarcely covered form from under the table and surprised me by picking me up bridal style. He carried me out of the kitchen, stopping to steal the old and worn blanket of the couch to wrap me up with it. When we made it down the street it hit me._

_We were on our way to our new home. ’Home. A real home.’ I smiled as I rested my head on my brother’s chest. I was going home._

* * *

 

_“Bye, Inoue-chan! See you on Wednesday!”_

_“Bye, everyone!” I called out as I left the bakery on Sunday evening. I knew I probably looked silly, walking down the street with a huge grin on my face but I didn’t care. It had been an amazing weekend! I had a girl's night, work went by fast and boss-san complimented my baking! I’d also see my boyfriend, Kurosaki-kun at school tomorrow._

_I still couldn’t believe it at times. Kurosaki Ichigo and I were a couple! He told me he wasn’t ready to go public yet but I decided I would be assertive with him Friday night during our next date. I knew he wanted to protect my reputation but anyone who didn’t support us would just need to keep their negative thoughts to themselves. We were happy, that should be all that matters._

_“Inoue Orihime?” A deep voice called out from behind me._

_I figured it was a customer from the bakery so I ignored the way my stomach started to feel sick. I didn’t want to be rude and make boss-san look bad so I turned around and greeted the man with a smile on face.  Or that was the plan until I saw someone I never wanted to see again._

_“D-daddy-sama"_

_“Still haven’t stopped calling me that I see. Look at you.” He walked around me, taking in every part of my body. Once he was back in front of me, he lifted his shirt just enough for me to see the gun he had in the waistband of his pants._

_“You are going to take me to your home and then we will discuss what will happen next. Do we understand each other?”_

_Just seeing him took me back to the little girl that was always terrified. All my training went out the window, I couldn’t move. It was as if the little blue men took over my body and all I could do was nod my head and lead him back to my home. I knew it was a bad idea, I knew once we were alone, I’d have no hope to get away again but I just kept walking._

“Orihime! Wake up!”

“You must wake up now!”

_I knew those voices... I ignored them to keep walking and make sure I didn’t upset my father. The only hope I had to live was to keep him happy._

* * *

 

“Wake her up now!” Ichigo shouted at the dumbfounded men just staring at each other, clearly communicated with each other just by looks.

There was a small light and Tsubaki appeared, he went straight to yelling at the girl on the bed and hitting her face. “Wake up you stupid girl!” He kept yelling at her while the others kept calling out to her in her mind. Tsubaki went to pull her hair while yelling at her to wake up.

Tessai and Yoruichi had just arrived and ran to the room to see what the commotion was about. As four adults watched what would happen next, Ichigo moved back to let her powers handle this since they knew her the best.

Orihime shot up to a seated position with a scream. It was something that would haunt Ichigo for the rest of his life. Her arm flew up to cover her ribs that had her sobbing in between pain and trying to forget everything she was remembering.

Her eyes were wild, clearly confused and in pain from her injuries. Ichigo grabbed her in his arms, holding her while she cried everything out and whispered to her “shh it’s okay, I’m here. It’s okay.”

He was done hiding their relationship, all his worries about what others would think, what they’d say about her, and if he was good enough went out the window. All that mattered to him was soothing his girlfriend.

When she finally calmed down a little, Ichigo climbed into bed and pulled her into his arms so she could speak to everyone but still be held close.

It broke Isshin to see his son and hopefully future daughter-in-law clinging to each other like that. They were too young to know this kind of fear. He saw out of the corner of his eye Yoruichi and Urahara share a look while Tessai came forward to offer Orihime the flowers he brought for her.

The young healer took them and thanked him with a shaky smile before bringing them up to her nose.

“Orihime-chan, do you mind if I do a quick check on you before Yoruichi takes you to bath?” Isshin asked carefully, it was almost like trying to get a terrified deer to stay in one place, one wrong move and you’d lose her.

“Hey, look at me,” Ichigo whispered. He waited until she’d meet his eyes before he continued talking.

“It’s okay. It’s over now.” Ichigo said while wrapping his arms tighter around Orihime as she shook with terror.

“No, it’s not. It hasn’t even begun.” Her dark words sent a chill down everyone’s spines. They weren’t used to hearing the happy go lucky girl talk in such a negative way.

“Orihime-chan, you’re safe, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Isshin tried to sooth the terrified young woman. He couldn’t figure out why she was feeling so doomed when she was surrounded by people who loved her.

“You don’t understand, none of you do.” She whispered while slowly shrinking into herself.

Before Isshin or Ichigo could say anything to further push the young woman away, Yoruichi quickly cut everyone off in a rare moment of kindness. With most people in Soul Society and in this town, she could push them, be hard and really piss them off to get a response she wants from them. She knew it wouldn’t work with Orihime though, the poor girl needed someone to show her a soft side, someone who would let her stay inside her head, work through things without anyone talking to her.

“Ichigo, why don’t you carry her to the house so I can help her relax in the tub.”

“I, I don’t need him to carry me.”

“Inoue, let me help. You’ll feel better when you get cleaned and I’ll wait for you in my room. It’s not a problem.” Ichigo stood up, carefully moving from behind her then scooped his girlfriend up in his arms, bridal style, before making his way upstairs to the tub.

Once the three were out of the clinic, and he knew it was safe to talk, the fan welding man commented on the young couple. “They seem very comfortable with each other.”

“I just hope they stay that way. Sometimes I wonder how these kids are supposed to do anything with their lives when they are fighting the other world’s battles and then you have the ugliest part of humanity pulling at them. I really don’t know how to protect them from this.” Isshin confessed.

“They’re strong, don’t give up on them just yet.”

* * *

 

Ichigo carefully carried Orihime out of the clinic and through the house with less amount of jarring. Once they reached the bathroom, he carefully set her down on the counter while he made sure they had everything they’d need. He even went to grab some of his clothes so she’d have something clean to wear. While they’d be huge on her, it was better than being stuck in a hospital gown.

Ichigo sat in his room, right by the open door to make sure he heard them if they needed him. Being away from her was harder than he thought it would be. He knew she was safe, Hell he was scared of the cat woman at times but it still felt odd not having her right there.

**Breath King.**

_‘Why are you being so nice?’_

**I’m you remember. If you kill yourself with stress then you kill me too.**

_‘Whatever.’_

* * *

 

“The water’s ready, do you want help getting the gown off?”

“If you could help me get down then I should be able to get it off. Thank you, Shihoin-san"

Rolling her eyes, the dark-haired woman helped Orihime stand while she took the gown off and sat her in the tub. Orihime was too worried about being a burden to actually ask for the help she needs. When Orihime started to cover herself and turn away from the cat lady but she kept hurting herself by jarring her ribs.

“I’m not concerned with your body but if it helps, here.” She changed into her cat form and cat on the side of the tub. If she could smirk in this form she would, humans were so odd. Being a cat and seeing everyone naked was fine but the second she turned back into her human body everyone freaked out.

“Thank you, Shihoin-san. You don’t have to waste your time here with me. I can call out when I need help. Please, don’t worry yourself over me.”

“Like it or not, you have a ton of people who care about you. We aren’t going to leave you to handle this on your own. We will find a way to save you.”

It was like being hit with ice on her chest. Everyone always wanted to save her, protect her but no one ever asked what she wanted. Sora, she understood. She was young and didn’t know anything about the real world. Now? She knew what she was up against and knew what she wanted to do.

Instead of responding, Orihime gently started to try and clean herself and asked for help with her hair since everything hurt to move. Yoruichi turned back to her human body and helped clean her long hair, even conditioned it to try and make the young adult feel better. Once they were done, Orihime dressed in Ichigo’s clothes he’d left for her before they called said man back in to help her get back to the clinic.

Ichigo had offered his room but Orihime refused, stating she was still healing and it would look back on his father if he let a patient stay in his house instead of where they were supposed to be. Ichigo didn’t bother arguing with her because she did kind of have a point.

Back in Orihime’s room, the bedding had been changed, Yuzu brought down one of their blankets for her to use and give the room some color. The healer couldn’t help but smile at the sweet jester.

“Thank you very much, everyone. I truly don’t deserve it.” She spoke as Isshin handed her some late lunch to hold her until dinner.

“Oh hush, you know I’d do anything for my daughter-in-law.” Isshin teased, not expecting the young woman to drop her spoon on the tray.

“Inoue?” Ichigo carefully asked while sending his father a death glare. The older man did feel guilty, he didn’t even think about it, it was just a joke he used on the two all the time.

Eating a few more bites, Orihime simply explained she was fully and ready to sleep.

“I’m sorry, I’m really full and would like to sleep.”

“Of course, if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask,” Isshin answered as he took the try from the young woman’s lap and headed out of the room leaving the two teens alone.

“Can I do anything, Inoue?”

“I just want to sleep.” Orihime didn’t even look at him, simply turned her head the other way and kept her eyes close hoping he’d leave so she could be alone. Luck didn’t seem to be on her side though. Ichigo stayed with her until she did fall asleep for the rest of the afternoon.

Friday night found Ichigo reading their favorite sci-fi book out loud to try and help soothe her nerves while hopefully keeping her asleep so she’d heal. He was stressed but worked hard to keep his reiatsu as low as he could. Ichigo didn’t want to overpower or scare Orihime in any way.

Their friends all came by earlier and sat with her while she slept but needed to get home to eat. He knew they wanted to see her and speak to her but part of him was glad she missed them. While he knew she loved their friends, he knew she’d hid any pain and push herself too hard to make them feel better. That wouldn’t do anyone any good right now.

It was around 8 pm when Orihime finally started to wake up, her stomach let itself be known by growling loudly. Ichigo couldn’t help but chuckle at her. How she could be embarrassed about being hungry was beyond him.

“Here Inoue, let me get you some water.” He reached to the table and grabbed the pitcher and poured her a glass before handing it over to her.

While she took small sips, he went to the door and called out to his dad so he knew she was up again. It took the older man a couple of minutes to come in. Isshin was dreading this talk but he let it go for longer than he should have. If it wasn’t Orihime, he would have asked her these questions right away but he gave her time for his son. He couldn’t stand the thought of hurting the person that meant so much to his only son.

“Good evening, Orhime-chan! Yuzu will be in soon with a light supper for you. How are you feeling?” He walked around to the other side of the bed since his son wasn’t going to give up his spot by her side for anyone.

“I’m okay. Thank you.” She hated that she was trapped here when she had so much, she needed to do.

“Well, that’s good to hear. You know, we need to call the police so you can give your official statement to them and they can go after the person who did this to you. Would you be okay with me calling them now?”

“I’m sorry, I- I'm not making a statement. When can I be released?” Her face was bright red, it was so difficult to talk to them and let them down. Even if she explained herself, they wouldn’t understand so she just kept it simple. She needed to get out of here as fast as possible.

“What? You have to talk to them.” Ichigo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There was no way she was going to let this scum bag get away with hurting her.

“Kurosaki-kun, maybe you should get some res-”

“No! You don’t get to tell me to leave you. Come on Inoue, why don’t you want the police to go after him? Why would you protect him?!” His voice was slowly rising along with his reiatsu.

“Ichigo, she doesn’t have to do anything. Now calm down or leave.”

The two Kurosakis held the other's eyes in a showdown. Orihime hated they were fighting and she caused it. She couldn’t help it, she had to leave. Didn’t he get it? There was no “helping” her. She was on her own.

“Kurosaki-kun, there are things you don’t know...”

“Orihime-chan, your aunt told me everything. I know your father is your legal guardian. We came up with a plan to keep you safe and buy time. If all goes well, you’ll be completely free come your birthday. Until then we found a way to keep him busy with the courts so he can’t hurt you. I just need you to give a quick statement.”

“What? What about your aunt? You lied to me?” One thing Ichigo never thought he’d see is Orihime breaking his trust.

“I didn’t lie. I couldn’t tell you. I’m so so sorry Kur-”

“Just talk to the cops.” He was trying to not let his temper get the better of him but this was a lot being thrown at him at once.

“I can’t.” She was so ashamed to cause them all this trouble. She knew he wouldn’t understand but whatever their plan was she wasn’t going to let it happen.

“Ichigo, go work out. I know for a fact Shinji is here, go spare with him.” The tone left no question that it was a demand. Ichigo would leave or he’d be thrown out.

“Fine.”

It broke the poor healer’s heart when he didn’t look at her as he left the room. She couldn’t believe she’d be so selfish as to give in to her own desires and accept Ichigo's offer to be her boyfriend.

“Orihime-chan, may I sit?” He waited until she nodded to sit on the side of the bed.

“May I ask why you don’t want to report what happened to you?”

“...”

“Is there anyone I can call for you? I know you missed your friends earlier this evening but I’d gladly call them over for you. Just let me know, okay?”

“Thank you, I did have one question for you.” She couldn’t meet his eyes, knowing he’d be upset as soon as she asked her question.

“Of course, what’s your question?”

“When can I be discharged?”

“I’m not sure, you aren’t in any condition to be on your own right now and with your father out there I don’t think it’d be safe. If you would rather stay in our home, I’d be more than happy to set that up for you. Don’t think you need to stay out here.”

“Here is fine, thank you Kurosaki-san. Please, don’t worry about me.”

“May I be honest with you?” Isshin sighed. Maybe if he was open with the young woman, she’d confess why she didn’t want to speak to the police and what he could do to help her. The main goal was to get her to understand she’s not alone and she has a family that loves her.

“Of course!” She tried to seem calm but inside she was terrified he was about to tell her to stay away from his son. Did he now realize how worthless she was? If her own parents couldn’t love her, how could anyone else?

“I think of you as family. I’ve seen you at your worst point in life. I knew when you were crying for Sora-san that you’d go one of two ways. You’d either give up and lose all motivation to better yourself, or you’d work hard and make your brother proud. When I heard you and Ichigo were in the same classes, I hoped the two of you would be friends. Imagine my surprise to find out you became one of his most trusted allies. Even when Soul Society thought you might have betrayed them, he never once questioned your loyalty. Then, you brought my boy back from the dead. At that moment I owed you my life.”

“You don’t owe me anything. If anything, I owe you.” She quickly interjected.

Chuckling, a sound that reminded her so much of her Ichigo, he continued on. “That right there is why I love you like a daughter.” He watched her stormy eyes widen in shock and heard her small gasp.

“I do, no matter what happens between you and my son, I’m always here for you. You don’t have to do this or anything else alone.” Now the teen was crying but it wasn’t due to being sad or scared, it was happy tears. She was finally showing some signs of being happy. “Do you what a hug? I’ve been told I’m a good teddy bear.”

Orihime laughed slightly at that comment, knowing how strong and intimidating he could be on the battlefield. She gave a slight nod that caused him to slowly move to her side. He sat next to her on the bed and pulled her gently into his arms while letting his spiritual pressure wrap her like a cocoon. He held her until all her tears dried up while soothing her with calming words.

“You know, Ichigo’s just worried about you. He’s not angry with you, he’s angry with the situation.” Isshin felt her stiffen but she didn’t cry again so he took it as a good sign. Isshin didn’t let her go until he felt her breathing slow and a quiet snore leaves her.

He held her a little longer then laid her down to sleep. Once the door was shut, he made his way to his office to call a meeting with everyone tomorrow morning. They’d save her and he was damn sure that monster would _never_ touch her again.

* * *

 

Ichigo headed towards Orihime’s room, freshly showered after his difficult sparing match. He felt so much better getting that anger out, his blood pumping, and some pent-up energy out. Maybe he did need to leave her side more often. Not that he’d ever tell his annoying father that. Isshin would never let him live it down if he admitted to being wrong with Isshin was right.

Opening the door, he saw Tatsuki there. “Hey”

“Hey, she’s been asleep since I got here but there’s been no crying this time.”

“Good, she needs to rest. Are you staying here tonight?” Ichigo wasn’t sure if he could be away from her all night but he wouldn’t kick their best friend out. He knew how much the two women meant to one another.

“No, I have a huge match tomorrow to see who’s going to the states next month for the competition. I feel bad thinking about this but I know she’d never forgive me if I gave it up.” Was what she said but Ichigo knew it meant “Please don’t judge me. I’m doing my best but I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing.”

“She would be pissed if you skipped your match. Go home and rest, don’t wanna lose that badass rep.” Ichigo laughed when she went to punch him. He wasn’t going to admit that punch really fucking hurt.

When the door shut, Ichigo immediately went to his beautiful, slumbering girlfriend. Knowing she was asleep gave him the courage to speak openly to her and go outside his comfort zone.

“Ugh, this is so hard and you aren’t even awake.” There was a slight pause as he tried to map out what he wanted to say.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. You may not be able to go to the cops but I’m not letting this go. We’ll come up with a plan tomorrow for you and keep you safe. Damn it, Inoue, don’t you get it? I can’t fucking lose you. I, I think I’m in love with you.” The last part was said so quiet if you weren’t listening you would have missed it completely.

He set his head down on her bed to kiss her hand before he made his way to the makeshift bed in the corner. What he didn’t see was the smile that Orihime couldn't hide after hearing his words.

_‘I love you too, Kurosaki-kun. I’m so so sorry but I can't let you save me this time. I need to do this on my own. I just hope you forgive me when this is all over.’_ Orihime thought to herself before falling asleep once again.


	5. Unbalanced

Normally, Saturdays meant sleeping in, no school, possibly a shift at work but that was about it. It was a day to enjoy the calm life had to offer, see your friends and ignore all your homework until Sunday night. Today was different, today wasn’t for relaxing or a quick shift at work, today started out very stressful and was doomed to end in the same manner.

Ring! Ring!

“Good morning, Kurosaki Clinic, Kurosaki Isshin speaking.”

“Hey Isshin, it’s Ryo. Do you have a minute?” Ryo wasn’t such a morning person as his friend was.

“Of course, what’s going on?”

“My partner and I need to stop by to speak to Inoue Orihime and you. This will be the last time we try to get a statement from the girl so any pull you have, please try to convince her to talk to us. Without her statement we really have nothing since no one saw who was with her, besides her.”

“Alright, when will you be here?”  Isshin sighed. This was not good news, he knew from experience if the police needed to talk to him in person that something bad was about to happen.

“Around 10.”

“Thank you, I owe you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ve got your back. See you soon.”

_Click_

_‘That man needs to learn to say goodbye or at least that he’s hanging up.’_ Isshin thought to himself as he put the office phone back on its cradle. Sitting back in his chair, the older man tried to figure out the best way to approach the topic with young Orihime-chan. He knew if he came at it the wrong way she’d completely shut down and if his damn son was in the room he’d get pissed off and start a fight. Then Orihime was bound to cry herself to sleep again.

“Oh Misaki, what do I do?” He whispered to the heavens. Isshin would do anything to have her here to speak to. She would have loved the young woman Ichigo picked. He could visualize them being glued at the hip. Misaki had this way about her, she pulled people in and knew what others needed, how to push them while still supporting them.

Giving up his train of thought, Isshin left his office to wake the two teens. He needs his office to wake the two teens. He needed to get Ichigo away from her. Then his challenge would decrease tremendously. While Ichigo was a hero and knew how to protect the people he loved, he couldn’t fight this enemy away. He wanted to have a chance to speak to Orihime alone. To have a chance to give her a heads up so she knows what’s about to happen.

“Ichigo, Orihime-chan? It’s time to wake up.” Normally, the older man would attack the poor boy, but they were trying to keep everything calm for Orihime to stay stable. He was already seeing a slight change in her. The last thing Isshin wanted to do was cause a more dramatic shift mentally.

Opening the door slowly after calling out, Isshin saw his son had pulled his bed right next to her’s. They were holding hands while sleeping but he could tell Ichigo was slowly waking up. Carefully, he pulled out his phone to snap a quick picture of the two. He couldn’t help it, Orihime was still healing but she was on the edge of her bed, her arm hanging off the side while Ichigo was right next to her, in his fold out bed. He was currently holding her arm close to his chest with his other hand holding hers. Isshin hated to think how much more the two would have to face but figured this picture showed the truth of their feelings for one another.

“Ugh, why are you waking us up?” Ichigo complained. When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was holding onto Orihime and quickly, but gently, placed her arm back on her bed with bright red ears.

“Kurosaki-san? I’m sorry, did I oversleep?” Orihime’s concerned response was.

“No, I’m sorry to wake the two of you. The police will be here in a couple of hours and I wanted to give you two time to change and bathe if you desired. It’s a little after 8 now and they’ll be here at 10. Orihime, I placed a seat in the shower so you can bathe yourself pretty well, it might take a little longer since you’re still hurting but I thought you’d enjoy your privacy.”

The healer’s gentle grey eyes that have been dull had a little light in them at the idea of being able to be independent. Before she got too excited, he gave her the bad news.

“You’re still too weak to use the crutches for your knee but one of us can help you in there and set everything by the side so you should only need help to get to and from the bathroom.”

“Thank you, Kurosaki-san. Truly.” She gave him a slight bow of her head to show him respect.

“Of course, I’ll let you two get to it.” Isshin left the teens to get ready. He hoped Ichigo would help her so he’d need to leave after to get himself ready, that would be his chance to speak to her alone.

* * *

 

“Do you think, I mean, would you mind helping me?” Orihime timidly asked the teen who was currently trying to wrap his mind around the fact the police would be here, again, to speak to Orihime. He needed to get her to talk but he also didn’t want to upset her.

“Yeah, let me know what you want to wear, and I’ll grab it.” He tried to sound confident, but he couldn’t figure out how to approach the topic.

_‘Women are so complicated.’_

**_Just make her lose her mind in pleasure_ **

_‘Shut the fuck up.’_

**_Nice response, King._ **

Ignoring his hollow, Ichigo went to grab everything she had asked for. It was extremely uncomfortable for him to grab her bra and panties, which his hollow enjoyed feeding him as many images as he could of what their beautiful girlfriend would look like in just those silky blue undergarments.

When Inoue was all set to take her shower, Ichigo sat by the door, ready to help if anything happened. He hated seeing her so hurt, especially since she had the ability to heal herself. Why was it always her?

She never talks about her parents, he didn’t’ even know if they were alive, lived here, ever spoke to her, nothing! He wanted to ask a couple of times but didn’t want to upset her or come off nosey. Another issue Ichigo had was how do you bring it up?

“Oh hey, what happened to your parents?” or “Hey Inoue, are your parents alive?” That’d go over well. Being so distracted by his thoughts over her parents he didn’t’ have time to come up with a plan to convince her to speak to the police. He didn’t even hear the shower turn off.

“Kurosaki-kun? Could you please help me to the conference room?” Orihime’s voice was muffled by the closed door.

“Yeah, I need to have Dad get you a wheelchair.” He didn’t have time to think about what he just said or how it might come off. The damage was already done.

“I’m so sorry, Kurosaki-kun. If you could just help me to the bed, I’ll be fine.” Her voice dripped with the pain she felt for being a burden again.

_‘Not only was I so worthless my parents hated me, but I also couldn’t help my brother even with the powers I held, I couldn’t save everyone by giving myself up to Ulquiorra and now Kurosaki-kun is stuck carrying me around like a child. I’m so pathetic.’_

“Fuck, Inoue… That’s not what I meant. I just thought you’d feel better if you were a bit more independent. Like showering alone instead of having someone with you in the bathroom. I don’t mind carrying you, I’ve done it before.” He could feel the blush creeping up his face and across his ears. Thankfully, her face was also turning red.

“Let’s get you to the conference room. I’m sure Yuzu will have food for you while I go shower. Does that work?”

She nodded while wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her close.

Orihime wasn’t in a safe place mentally, everything she heard turned into something negative. The normally happy go lucky woman couldn’t see the bright side of things right now and it was killing everyone around them. It made the others on edge.

Ichigo wasn’t sure how to act. Typically, he’d watch how much he cursed around Orihime but that was it. Well, that and stopping fights between him and the Quincy when she gave them “the look” then asked them to get along. Somehow, she always managed to stop the two from butting heads; for a short while at least.

Reaching the conference room, Ichigo sat Inoue so she faced the door to see who was coming or going. Inoue noticed and gave him a hug when he sat her down, whispering “Thank you” for his kindness. Ichigo gave her his signature smirk while Yuzu and Karin came in with food to keep the young woman company.

“I’m gonna shower before they get here. Ask Dad if you need anything.” When she nodded but kept her eyes down, he knew she’d try to keep her needs to herself, so he added, “I mean it.” Causing her to blush.

Not missing the small moment between the teens, Isshin bellowed in his overdramatic ways “We’ll be fine! Go shower, you smell.”

Ichigo glared but left the clinic none the less.

The girls all started eating their pancakes while Isshin was filling out paperwork. Everyone was surprised when Ichigo walked back in.

When he saw what they were eating he knew Inoue would want some bean paste, so he raided the kitchen to find one of her favorite foods. He quickly went back to the clinic and offered it to the blushing teen.

Isshin smiled when he saw how thoughtful his son was when it came to his girlfriend. He knew she would do the same for him if the situation was reversed. He watched as Ichigo just handed it to her and left to go shower, it was how they were; reading each other’s needs like they were their own.

Once his son left, Isshin took a good look at Orihime. She was still blushing but happily eating with his daughters. She wasn’t her normal self, but she was starting to open up a bit to the girls. It made his heart swell to see how close the three were. Even more so when Orihime corrected Yuzu with her name.   
“Yuzu-chan, please call me Orihime.”

Yuzu blushed bright red but agreed before the three started eating again. Karin laughing at her sister’s reaction. Orihime and Yuzu were very similar, its worried Karin at first. Yuzu was her twin, but could she be replaced by someone so similar to her? Her fear was soon proven to be silly since Orihime went out of her way to include Karin every time they were over.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you, your friends called and will be here this afternoon. They’re bringing your homework, so you don’t get behind.” Isshin chimed in during the meal.

“That’s so kind of them! I hope they aren’t going out of their way.”

“Would you bring it for any of them?” He offered.

“Of course! They’re my friends.”

“So, you see they aren’t going out of their way then.” Isshin had a huge grin on his face as he watched the wheels turn in the healer’s head until it clicked.

“What are you smiling about?” Ichigo demanded when he made his way into the office eating a pop tart.

“Ichigo! I made breakfast, why are you eating that?!” Yuzu chided her older brother.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo looked guilty at his pop tarts. “Sorry Yuzu.” He mumbled causing most the room to laugh. When Orihime’s giggle was heard everyone froze to look at her, each person had a smile on their face.

“What are you laughing at Inoue?” Ichigo teased.

“N-nothing, Kurosaki-kun!” She waved one arm across her face while shaking her head with a small smile on her face.

The group was interrupted when two officers walked into the room.

“Ah! Hello Ryo, and officer...”

“Kent.”

“Officer Kent.” Isshin finished his greeting.

Looking towards his girls, he gave them a look that told them it was time to go to the house for a bit. Unlike his son, his girls would always listen to him and left the conference room.

 “We'll be in the house if you need anything,” Yuzu spoke up before placing a gentle hand on Orihime’s shoulder, showing her support.

“Ichigo? Why don’t you go with them?” Isshin really hoped his son would leave so Orihime would have less pressure on her and if she did talk, she wouldn’t need to worry over Ichigo’s feelings.

“Hell no. I’m staying.” If looks could kill, Isshin would be dead ten times over.

Sighing, Isshin tried one last time. “Ichigo, she doesn’t need you here.”

“Yes, she does.” He growled back both completely ignoring said girl.

“Um, officers? You don’t need to worry about me. I have nothing to say, I’m sorry.” Before either Kurosaki could respond, Officer Kent did for them.

“Are you positive, Inoue-chan?”

“Yes.”

“Damn it, Inoue! You don’t need her statement, you have mine and my dad's.”

“Kurosaki, while it’s great both of you gave statements, neither of you saw what happened or who was with her. If she does not wish to cooperate, we can’t make her. With that said, Isshin and Inoue-chan, we need to talk to you about what happens next.”

“O-Okay?” Inoue was a little scared she was in trouble for not offering her statement. How could she? She had no idea what would happen to her and if all her secrets got out no one would ever look at her the same again.

“We need proof of your guardian before you may be released. Isshin, with her being a minor she is not allowed to leave the clinic, at all. We need to find her guardian. I was quite surprised that no one seems to have any paperwork on you. If fact, once your brother passed away there is nothing on you aside from school records and your lease. Who is your legal guardian? We know your aunt pays your rent, but she isn’t listed anywhere as your guardian.”

“I’m sorry, I think Orihime-chan has been up too long with her injuries. Why don’t I fax you the information you are looking for? I need to get everything together for you first, and she won’t leave the clinic before we get your approval.”

Neither officer looked thrilled at the idea of getting the runaround but agreed. For now, they would let it slide, if they didn’t hear back though, well things would change.

“Fine. If nothing comes up by Friday, Orihime-chan you will go to into child protective services. There is no other option.” Officer Kent said added before leaving.

“That won’t be necessary” Isshin tried to laugh off but was quickly cut off by a quick “we’ll see.” from Officer Kent.

“Have you ever seen her Dad?” Ichigo called after the officers. He needed to know what they were looking at.

“We have no idea who he even is.” Officer Kent gave a hard look towards Orihime, who shrunk down, before leaving. Isshin walked them out while Ichigo checked his phone when a text came in.

 **Chad:** Uryu and I will be there in a minute to hang out with Orihime.

 **Ichigo:** Sounds good.

“Chad and Ishida are gonna be here in just a minute, are you okay if I go out and train for a bit?”

“Go, you need to take some time for yourself, Kurosaki-kun. Please stop pushing your own life to the side for me. If you do, you’ll start resenting me.” Finally voicing one of her biggest fears, Orihime barely dared to look him in the eyes.

What she didn’t expect was Ichigo to knelt to her level. “Inoue, I could never hate you. Yeah, I’m frustrated at the situation and a little bit at you but I’m fine. I do this because I want to.”

She loved these rare moments when he was romantic and opened up a bit. She didn’t want to ruin it but she didn’t want to hurt him in the long run.

“Kurosaki-kun? Would you do me a favor and think about something? You can’t respond before you think it over. Promise?”

**Don’t do it, King.**

_Fuck off._

_“_ Yeah.”

“Will you please, please think of yourself too? If this relationship between us eve-”

“Don’t. Don’t fucking start this.”

“Kuro-”

“No. Do you want to leave me?” He demanded.

“No! Of course not!”

“Then stop. We’re fine and if you think I’d be with you out of pity then you really don’t know me.” Not wanting to admit her words hurt, Ichigo pulled her to the edge of the chair and gave her a tight hug.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered into his neck. She knew he was hurt and knew he’d never admit it.

Ichigo held her a little longer before he heard the front door open. Knowing they’d have company in a second, he gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head and pulled away. Right on time, their friends came into the conference room. Neither knowing they just walked in on the couple's first kiss, even if it wasn’t on the lips).

“Good morning, Inoue-san.”

“Why are you so damn formal?” Ichigo just had to start something to get some energy out.

“Unlike some, Kurosaki, I happen to hold a great deal of respect for our Inoue- _san.”_

“And I don’t?!”

While the two shared their love/hate relationship that was slowly moving towards the door, Chad came and sat by Orihime.

“Hey, Orihime-chan. We brought you all the work you missed and all our notes to get you caught up.”  Chad was known to be a man of few words, but he also took the healer in as a sister. He could understand her need to keep things to herself and normally let her, but he was going to push a little on the topic that he was fairly sure he knew the answer to, once they were alone that is.

“Oh, thank you so much!” She exclaimed, truly happy to have everything she needed to get caught up and not let the others down.

“Hey Inoue, we’re gonna go spar for a bit. I gotta teach him how to really fight.”

“Excuse me.” Uryu pushed up his glasses while glaring at the orange haired man.

“You heard me, Quincy.” The two kept up their banter as they left to show the other how to fight.

Orihime and Chad shared a knowing look. Those two would never change.

After a good 20 minutes of Orihime going over the two men’s notes and Chad working on his homework, he finally opened up the topic he was interested in.

“How are you two doing?” He never looked up from his work and spoke the words so quietly that anyone who was walking by would have missed them completely.

“Huh?” She didn’t know who he was talking about since he shouldn’t know about her and Ichigo yet.

Chad stopped his writing and looked at her. The look clearly said, “you know what I’m talking about.”

“I, well, we um..” She tried to explain without telling him everything since she was under the impression Ichigo wasn’t ready for everyone to know but Chad saved her from the awkward situation she found herself in.

“Orihime, it’s fine.” He gave her a slight smile and went back to his homework as if nothing happened to leave poor Inoue to wonder what just happened.

She decided to get back to work while on their notes so whenever Uryu and Chad were ready to leave, they could take their notes with them.

* * *

 

While the teens were all grouped together working on “training” and studying, Isshin walked the officers out of his clinic. Ryo told his partner he’d be right there to speak to his long-time friend before going any farther.

“Look Isshin, I’m going to be honest with you. She’s already been flagged and will be picked up by Child Protective Services to be placed into a foster home until her birthday. Even if she’s taken away, he’s still going to come after her, from what we saw, he’ll stop at nothing to get to her. All he must do is a simple blood test and we legally must hand her over. Without her telling us her side of the story we can’t stop him. You need to get through to her and have her come to us before Friday. Please.”

“I know. I’m trying.” Isshin sighed and patted his friend on the back.

“Isshin, I’d get to her place today and grab anything she doesn’t to lose. He’s still coming by the place; each time I drive by I have to retape the damn door.”

Isshin watched the patrol car drive off with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

* * *

 

Ichigo and Uryu came back to the clinic a couple of hours later, both in a noticeably better mood after getting to fight each other. The orange-haired teen grabbed a chair and moved it next to Orihime at the edge of the conference table. Uryu’s eye twitched as he watched Kurosaki wrapped his arm around their beloved healer, pulling her in close for a side hug before letting her go so she could get back to work.

Chad had a small smile, happy something good came from this horrible event in Orihime’s life. He was sure Ichigo would hide their relationship till the wedding day.

Uryu wasn’t as thrilled as their friend. While he had a feeling the two brightly colored teens were in a relationship, seeing it was completely different. Ichigo’s usual scowl was missing and replaced with a soft smile. Inoue’s smile was smaller than normal, but she was happy, something they all missed terribly. Uryu had to wonder what changed Ichigo’s mind about PDA, or was it about his confidence? Had Ichigo finally realized he was allowed to be happy?

Not one to beat around the bush; Uryu got straight to the point. “When did this happen?”

Inoue blushed while Ichigo glared at him, but the death glare lost some of its edges when accompanied by the blush Ichigo was supporting on his face and ears.

Being so focused on killing their “friend” with just one look, he didn’t notice what Orihime was up to until her timid hand grabbed his that was resting on his leg. Turning to see what she was thinking, he saw her pleading with him to tell them. To finally be able to tell anyone and everyone they were together. He squeezed her hand before interlacing their fingers.

“Inoue's”

“You still call her Inoue, really Kurosaki?” He scoffs while pushing up his glasses.

“That’s her fucking name,” Ichigo growled out, standing to his full height as Uryu did the same. You could see the argument about to erupt when a new voice cut in.

“He has a point, what type of man did I raise?”

“Ugh. What are you doing here now?”

“What an ungrateful-“

“Hello, Kurosaki-san!” Orihime caught them before another argument could start.

“Oh, Orihime-chan! I’m so glad my son has such a positive influence in his life. Anyways, I need to borrow you for a moment, my dear.”

“I’ll leave my notes here so you can take some time and read through them.” Uryu quietly told Inoue while packing up his homework he only had time to unpack before him and Ichigo left to “train”.

“Thank you so much, Uryu-kun.”

“Of course.” The two boys left to go check in with their other friends who wanted an update but were unable to visit today.

Once they were gone, Isshin took a seat next to the young couple, he gave a look to his son stating, “this would be a serious talk so keep your mouth closed or I’ll kick you out.” When Ichigo nodded his head, Isshin started the talk he really didn’t want to have.

“When the police were leaving, they informed me whoever was with you keeps coming back. I’d like you to make a list of things you’d like me to grab for you. Unfortunately, it seems he’s trashed the place, but I’ll still go and salvage what I can.” 

Both generations of Kurosaki males watched the slight color that had just returned to the healer’s face completely drain. You could see the life fading from her eyes while her walls went back up to protect herself.

“I’m sorry, I also need to speak to you about the idea your aunt and I have been working on to keep you out of child protective services, away from your father, and keep you in school.”

“I’m sorry, you talked to my aunt?”

“Yes, we believe it would be best to marry you quickly. We have four men lined up for you.”

“WHAT?! You wanna marry her off?!”

“Ichigo.” His father warned.

“No, who the hell offered to marry her? Do you even know them?”

Even though Ichigo was the one who asked the question, Isshin directed his answer to Orihime. He knew this would be awkward, but it’d buy enough time for her to hit 18.

“Orihime-chan” Isshin reached out to touch her hand, when she didn’t pull away, he held her hand across the table before continuing. “We know your father is your guardian, and if you go into the system who knows what would happen, Orihime-san, Urahara, and I realized if we marry you now and your aunt is willing to sign off on it, it would take the courts months to figure it all out and time for you to turn 18 so you will no longer need a guardian.  Before you say anything, all four men would NEVER force you to consummate the marriage. It’d be on paper, living together and once September 3rd came around, you’d be free to have it annulled.”

“W-who would offer up their life like that?” She was trying to stay strong, she really was but who gives up their freedom, their chance at love, it was too much to ever accept.

“Hirako Shinji”

“Oh fuck no.” Ichigo was not having that.

“Hisagi Shuhei, Muguruma Kensei, and um.. well me.”

Ichigo’s chair hit the floor so fast no one registered the young man even moved.

“What the fuck do you mean, YOU’d marry her! How fucked up would that be? Why did no one ask me?! I’m her damn boyfriend!”

“Ichigo, we’re trying to find someone who is old enough to show they can care for her and keep her safe while the courts fight about who had the right to sign and if they are already married does that marriage over rule her absentee father.”

“And I couldn’t?!”

“Marriage isn’t a joke Ichigo. You aren’t going to marry he-“

“I can damn well do what I want!”

Both men were fighting and didn’t see how upset the healer was getting each comment that came out. Once again, she was sitting there, having men talk about her and deciding her life without asking. Would it always be this way? Would all men do this?  

While she was trying to figure out what was going to happen Ichigo and Isshin kept on fighting.

“She’s mine!” Ichigo uncharacteristically shouted when his father was once again trying to explain the plan.

“No!”

Orihime heard the words that came from her boyfriend’s mouth. The same words she heard Sunday night.

“No! No! No!” She kept yelling.

“Orihime-chan? Isshin carefully asked as he made his way over but was thrown back by her shield that was now protecting her.

She pulled her uninjured leg up to her chest and wrapped it with both arms, head down while she chanted no repeatedly.

What surprised them the most was the power she was letting loose, she was always so careful to keep it all inside, making sure she never bothered anyone, but this was raw power being let out with no control, no purpose, just dangerous raw power.

“Inoue!” Ichigo tried to get her attention as the energy around the young woman grew in power, pushing the men farther away.

“Orihime, show us. Please. Show us what you are trying to forget.” Isshin begged. He knew Orihime was too far gone in her mind to respond but her powers might. If it was in the best interest of Orihime, they may act without her direction to let them in and see what they needed to finally have answers and help her.

“Dad?” Ichigo didn’t get why his dad was asking her that.

“Orihime, we can help if we know what is going on. Once we know who came after you, we can keep you safe!”

“Leave me alone, please!” She yelled with a wave of power throwing them into the wall.

“Ichigo! I need you to push your reiatsu at her, give her something to focus on, I’ll be right back.” Isshin called out before crawling out the room and down the hall.

“Come on, Inoue. Don’t make me do this.” Ichigo growled out through clenched teeth as he let some of his reiatsu lose to give her something to push back on. His heart broke a little when she kept pleading to be left alone. His hollow was also coming into play, he wanted to be let out, he wanted to help their Queen but Ichigo wasn’t going to risk it. Not with Orihime such a mess.

Isshin came running back with a needle in his hand barking out more orders, “Ichigo, you need to give it one big push so I can sedate her. Okay?”

“Will it hurt her?” He didn’t know what would happen if his reiatsu pushed her’s back.

“No, it’ll surprise her and hopefully she’ll drop her shield.”

Giving a quick nod, Ichigo and his hollow pushed a large wave of spiritual pressure towards the scared woman. Orihime quickly pulled back all her energy and looked up towards Ichigo, knowing full well where it came from.

Before she could ask anything, Isshin stuck her with the needle and she slowly started to fall asleep.

“What happened?”

**She’s traumatized and has been hiding it.**

“I believe everything that’s happened to her has finally hit her and she was breaking down.”

 **Told you.** His smug hollow gloated.

They both saw Orihime’s fairies appear, they looked down at their Orihime with sad faces than to the two that cared so much for her.

“We are willing to offer you a look into her memory. Now that she is asleep after pushing it away, she’s thinking about it again. We can reject everything that stops you from seeing her dream.”

“What if she’s dreaming of somethin’ else?” Ichigo offered, not wanted to see something private.

“She is. We checked before appearing.”

Ichigo looked at his father, for once he wasn’t going to make the decision. It felt wrong, and a little creepy but at the same time he wanted to know what happened. And who touched her.

“I think we should. Please allow us to watch so we can help her. I’ll carry her to her bed so she’s comfortable. Ichigo, grab another chair.”

Once everything was in its place, the two watched in aw as Orihime’s dream/memory was being projected above her. Ishhin gave his son’s shoulder a squeeze before they watched what happened to her. This would be difficult to watch and worse to move on from.

When the memory started to play, they sat still watching what was happening on the screen.

Seeing the happy woman leave the bakery, not a care in the world showed them just how much she’s been changed by this. Ichigo made a silent vow to bring that smile back to her, even if it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you do not want to know the details of her attack/week with her attackers, please skip the next chapter. I’m making it a small chapter that’s only what she went through, but I did have Isshin list everything a few times to make sure if anyone wanted to skip it, they wouldn’t miss anything. 
> 
> AGAIN, NEXT CHAPTER WILL ONLY COVER ORIHIME’S POV DURING HER CAPTIVITY. Once the memory is over, I’ll end the chapter and have the next one up to start right where we left off. You will not miss anything.


	6. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: You can skip this chapter if you do not wish to read what happened to Orihime while she was with her captors. The next chapter will leave off at a point you won’t miss anything. I know I said I wouldn’t offer any more warnings, but this is the big one so please feel free to skip this chapter. Trigger warnings!

“Bye, Inoue-chan! See you on Wednesday!”

“Bye, everyone!” I called out as I left the bakery on Sunday evening. I knew I probably looked silly, walking down the street with a huge grin on my face but I didn’t care. It had been an amazing weekend! I had a girl's night Saturday with Tatsuki, work went by fast today and boss-san complimented my baking! I’d also see my boyfriend, Kurosaki-kun at school tomorrow.

I still couldn’t believe it at times. Kurosaki Ichigo and I were a couple! He told me he wasn’t ready to go public yet, but I decided I would be assertive with him Friday night during our next date. I knew he wanted to protect my reputation but anyone who didn’t support us would just need to keep their negative thoughts to themselves. We were happy, that should be all that matters. Anyone who didn’t feel the same could keep their negativity to themselves.

“Inoue Orihime?” A deep voice called out from behind me.

I figured it was a customer from the bakery, so I ignored the way my stomach started to feel sick. I didn’t want to be rude and make boss-san look bad, so I turned around and greeted the man with a smile on my face.  Or that was the plan until I saw someone I never wanted to see again.

“D-daddy-sama." I gasped.

“Still haven’t stopped calling me that I see. Look at you.” He walked around me, taking in every part of my body. Once he was back in front of me, he lifted his shirt just enough for me to see the gun he had in the waistband of his pants.

“You are going to take me to your home and then we will discuss what will happen next. Do we understand each other?”

His face had aged since I last saw him, there were wrinkles and his hair had grey in it now. The small changes in him, the time apart, my training, none of it mattered. Just seeing him took me back to the little girl that was always terrified. All my training went out the window, I couldn’t move. It was as if the little blue men took over my body and all I could do was nod my head and lead him back to my home. I knew it was a bad idea, I knew once we were alone, I’d have no hope to get away again, but I just kept walking.

When I unlocked my front door, he pushed me in so hard I fell on my hands and knees. I didn’t cry out, I knew that would upset him. I carefully stood and toed off my shoes, hanging up my coat on the coat rake I watched him walk into my home, shoes still on. He turned in a full circle, taking in everything my living room and the kitchen had to offer before looking at me.

I closed the door, waiting for his next direction but his next sentence was beyond disrespectful and demeaning. His whistle of fake appreciation beforehand should have warned me I wouldn’t like what he had to say next. 

“Very nice. You must have found the right man to blow for a place like this.” His sneezy smile made my stomach turn. I wanted to scream at him, tell him how wrong he was but I couldn’t get my mouth to work, my voice seemed to be locked away. I really am pathetic. One look at him and everything I’ve worked on since leaving, all Sora’s sacrifices were for nothing.

“What about that pretty little cunt of yours, huh? Have you been spreading your legs like your mother?” He sneered at me while walking towards me.

 _‘Why won’t my brain work?! Scream for help, Orihime!’_ He was getting closer and I couldn’t get my mouth to work. I know it’s opening and closing but no sound is coming out.

Smack!

My face swung to the other side as my hand came to cover my reddening face. He slapped me!

“I asked you a question you little bitch. Have you been whoring around?” His hand wrapped around my neck pushing on my throat and blocking my airway.

I shook my head no the best I could with how tight he was holding me, but he wasn’t giving me much room to move. He seemed to understand because he let go and went to the kitchen for a soda.

I sunk to my knees, holding my throat as I coughed, trying to get air back in my poor lungs. I always made sure to keep my eyes on him, I wasn’t about to fall for his sneak attacks. When I was younger, he’d wait till I wasn’t watching him and smack me, push me, or even pull me by my hair just for the fun of it.

His brown eyes with red mixed into the whites met mine. Neither backing down. My small show of bravery seemed to entertain him because he openly laughed at me.

“My, my. Little Orihime seems to have found a backbone. No matter, you won’t be my problem much longer. Now, it’s already 6, why don’t you cook some dinner and make it good or else.”

 _‘Do what he says, if he thinks I’m willing to do whatever asked he’ll trust me, and he might mess up. You can do this! Make Sora-nii proud.’_ My mini pep talk gave me the courage to get off the floor and walk towards the kitchen. I looked around at what I had and decided to make an easy stir fry. It would taste good and I’d be able to keep an eye on him easier.

“Would stir fry be acceptable? I’m afraid I haven’t been able to make it to the store yet.” Maybe he’d go if he didn’t like the idea. Or make me go get something!

“Fine.” He turned the tv on, placing his muddy shoes on my coffee table while drinking his soda. At least it wasn’t beer. If he drank then I knew I’d be in trouble.

I made my way around the kitchen, grabbing all the ingredients I’d need while making sure I knew where my father was at all times. Once I finished chopping up all the veggies, I grabbed my pan to start cooking when he called out to me.

“Get me another soda.” I was actually surprised he was so polite. Normally that would have been ended with “bitch.”

Setting the pan down, I went to the fridge and got him another soda then walked to the living room to hand it to him. Once he was holding the new can, I made a move to take his old one but he told me to leave it so I turned and headed back to the kitchen.

I listened to the sounds from the television, the sound of the oil heating up and the food frying while I tried to come up with a plan. Well, until the doorbell rang.

Freezing, I tried to sense who was at the door, thankfully it wasn’t any of my friends. I wasn’t sure what to do though, do I answer it? Do I ignore it? Would he answer it? I turned to better watch my father. He stood from his seat, fixing his shirt and made his way to the door.

By the sounds of the voice who greeted him, it was a man at the door. They both came in, my father finally taking off his shoes. The man who walked in with my father was handsome. He was tall, probably about as tall as Chad is, his dark brown hair was a little shaggy but not so long he looked unkept. It had a bad boy look to it. He was clearly built, the way his shirt showed off just enough muscle to see he spent time working on himself but not too tight that it was showing off. I wasn’t expecting someone like this to know my father.

“Orihime, this is Nakamura Reo. Nakamura-san, this is my daughter, Orihime.”

Reo came towards me and gave a slight bow of his head, I offered my own bow but froze when I felt his hand come under my chin. It seemed so familiar...

“Orihime, you’ve grown into such a beautiful woman.” He praised.

“T-thank you.” I could feel my face heating up but that was such a sweet compliment. He looked past me and saw the dinner I had started making then back down to me. His light brown eyes seemed to be hiding something. I wondered what it was.

“You better get back in there, we wouldn’t want your hard work to go to waste.” He nodded towards the food I had left on the pan.

“Oh! Yes, please excuse me.” I rushed back in to save dinner just in time.

The men sat in the living room and talk while I set the table for us. Reo was very polite towards me. I was surprised but happily so. Maybe he’d help me escape.

We barely sat down when my phone went off in my bag. I was going to ignore it but my father got up and checked it. When he opened my phone, he saw a picture of me and Kurosaki-kun smiling while his arms were holding me close. I smiled when I saw it but Reo tensed up.

_‘Odd.’_

“Orihime, do you have a boyfriend?” He asked casually but my father spun around mouthing something to me but I couldn’t make it out.

“Yes, Kurosaki-kun.” I smiled as I spoke his name.

“I see.” He left the table, speaking softly to my father before he left my apartment. I wasn’t sure what just happened but every muscle in my body was tense. My father stopped over to me, slapping me across the face hard enough I fell to the floor.

“You stupid whore! You just can’t do anything right, can you?” He spits on my face before giving me a swift kick to the ribs.  The sickening crack that came before pain as I’ve never felt crashed over my body. I didn’t mean to, I really didn’t but I puked up the little food I ate before everything went wrong. Of course, this angered my father.

“Gross. You better clean this up before he gets back.” He gave me one last kick to my already sore ribs before he left.

Part of my brain was screaming to run, but I had no idea if he was just outside or if he truly left. These few kicks reminded me why I never stood up for myself before. He was much stronger and held my future in his hands.

Once I calmed down, I started cleaning up my mess. Trying not to hiss as every move made me want to cry out in pain. I went to lay down for a bit. I just needed something soft to lay on and try to rest before I started crying. Crying would get me to hit and I didn’t think I could handle another beating right now.  Just a little nap...

I woke to the sound of my father’s drunk yelling, “Where did you go? Stupid worthless whore.” He stood in the doorway of my room, glaring down at me with so much hate it was hard to breathe. How could he hate me so much?

“You’re lucky he’ll be back. If he didn’t come back, I would have killed you.”

My eyes grew double their normal size at his words. He’d really kill me? His own daughter? Before I could think of something to say, Reo came up behind him and into my room. A large bag in hand. He went to the corner of my room and told my father to push all the dressers and items I had around my room to one side. When there was a large open area, he took out some power tools. He bolted large rings to my floor. What in the world would make him do that?

I sat up a bit, about to ask him when a sharp pain went through my head and everything went black.

“Ugh, my head,” I whispered as I tried sitting up, something stopped me. Opening my eyes, I noticed I was chained to the floor. My legs were spread apart, and my arms were chained by a single ring above my head. I pulled on the chains but none of them would give.

“I see you’re awake.”

“Nakamura-san, what is going on?”

“Do you not remember me, Little One?” He truly seemed surprised.

“I’m sorry, I, I don’t think I do.” I hated being stuck on the ground like this. All I wanted was for Kurosaki-kun to come save me as he always does. Even when I left without a word, he found me, but this time? There were no clues to follow, no evil to kill. This time will only involve me and my family.

“Silly little girl. We last met right before you and your brother ran away. I must say, it was quite rude of you to leave your future husband like that.” He chuckled darkly.

“H-husband?”

“Yes, you see, I’ve already bought you. I have the paperwork and everything with your mother’s signature.” He walked over to me and held the papers in front of my face. There, in blue, was my mother’s signature.

“Your annoying brother thought he was smart. That he could take you away from me? No. I’ve paid a small fortune for you and while you may be ten years older now, I still want what’s mine! Now let us see if you’ve been spreading your legs while you’ve been away from me.”

 _‘Gods, he can’t be serious.’_ I thought when his words registered. However, the gleam in his eyes told me he was. I had to stop him! If he touched me, I wouldn’t be pure anymore! I would never be able to look at Kurosaki-kun again. As he strolled across my bedroom, I knew I had to come up with something or I’d be ruined.

Pulling with all my might and nothing to show for it, I decided it was time to scream. He must have noticed I took a deep breath and opened my mouth because he dove for me.

“Hhhhh-mph.” His hand forcefully covered my mouth while his other made quick work of his tie, shoving it into my mouth. Before I could try to spit it out, he punched me in the face. Tears felled from my eyes as the blood ran down my face. I didn’t notice he moved until he had his legs on both sides of my waist. He used my favorite scarf to hold his tie in place. Once he was done, he grabbed something black from his bag.

“If you weren’t being so difficult this wouldn’t have happened. I only came to bring my little wife home with me. I must say, you are beautiful. You’ll make all my colleagues jealous.” I shivered at his words, so discussed by what he was saying. He seemed to take my shiver as excitement by his next sentence.

“That’s right, I’ll make you feel so good. Fuck, I can’t wait to pound this tight pussy.” His hand cupped my most intimate place causing me to cry out the best I could around his makeshift gag.

“Damn. Will you be good if I unlock your legs? I want to feel them wrapped around me.” He purred in my ear. I nodded, this might be my only chance to get away.

He kissed my neck, warm open mouth kisses that made me gag. His hand moved up and down the inside of my left leg. He slowly made his way down my body. Unbuttoning my shirt while trailing kisses along my newly exposed skin.

_‘Please stop!’ I’m so, so, sorry Kurosaki-kun, please forgive me.’_

“Shh, he won’t be upset with you. We’re so sorry.” Ayame tried to calm me down.

“Just say the word and I’ll kill him!” Tsubaki demanded he was out for blood.

 _‘We can’t. No one can know about us. They’d experiment on us, they’d look at the people around me.’_ I wanted to put a shield around myself, but I couldn’t. _‘Please, don’t watch. Please, I reject your ability to see what I do.’_

I was pulled back from our conversation without a chance to feel guilty for what I just did to my powers when my bra was pulled down my chest. With my breasts exposed to his greedy eyes, I clamped my eyes closed. I needed to stay focused. Once he freed my legs, I had to take him out. Then, I could get help.

With my eyes still closed, I felt his large hands groped me while he spoke words, I’m sure he meant to turn me on in my ear. “Oh fuck, look at your tits. Am I the first one to touch you? Gods I better be. Your nipples are getting hard, Little One. Do you want more?”

 I shook my head no, but he laughed at me. “Don’t be scared, I’ll make you feel good, Babe.”

Next thing I knew, his mouth was on one of my nipples, he sucked, bit, licked, everything. I felt tightening in my stomach. How could I feel anything but discussed by his touch?! _‘I am a whore.’_

My eyes snapped open when his body got off mine. It was hard to see him over my chest, but I heard a click sound and then another. I timidly moved my legs up a bit, as he knelt in front of me. He unbuckled his belt, then his pants. He pulled his pants and boxers down to his knees, showing me everything he had to offer.

This was it. I waited till he was rubbing himself, head back, eyes closed. I brought my knee up to my chest, then kicked him as hard as possible in his manhood. He hit the ground, crying out as he held himself. I quickly moved the best I could with my hands still trapped above my head. I kicked again and again. It went by so fast, I just needed him to stay down.

“You fucking cunt!” He screams at me. He rolled away and pulled up his pants before he went to his bag. I pushed my thighs together to stop him from touching me. He moved above my head and latched something on top of my neck. Another click and I knew it was a choke collar for a dog. He pulled on the leash, I felt tiny bites all over my neck.

Nakamura-san kept the choker pulled tight and started prying my legs apart. Gripping my upper thighs, he managed to sit between my legs.

“Zurui! Get in here and chain her legs!” My legs were pulled straight and locked in place. I was doomed. Nakamura-san ripped my pink panties off me and thrust his fingers inside me. I have no idea how long he prodded around but eventually, he found what he was looking for.

“She’s pure.” He told my father as he pulled away. I hoped he was done but knew it wouldn’t be that easy. He put a black piece of fabric over my eyes.

‘What do I do?’ I frantically thought. He’d taken my voice, and now my sight. I kept as quiet as I could to try and hear what he was about to do next. Pain blossomed across my side and I blacked out.


	7. Pain

“Why did it stop?” Isshin’s choked out. While watching young Orihime suffer wasn’t something he wanted to do, it was giving them a look into the danger she may still be in. It would also give him a chance to figure out a course of treatment and how to better assist her.

“She’s fighting it, sh-she doesn’t want to remember.” Shun’o sobbed.

“You don’t know what happened to her, do you?” Ichigo realized. Was she able to reject her own powers? How strong was she?

Hearing her think he wouldn’t forgive _her_ for what those monsters did to her. Did she really think so low of him? Ichigo could take a lot, but Inoue not trusting him? That was too much. He was shaking with rage and hurt.

**What the hell?!**

‘...’

“How could she keep us from helping her?! How stupid is she?!” Tsubaki growled at the sleeping girl.

“Stop, she didn-”

“Stop coving for her Ayame! She didn’t fucking trust us to help her!”

“Now wait, Orihime is not to blame here.” Isshin tried to calm Tsubaki down. He didn’t know much about the small figures flying by her head, but he didn’t want them to say something that’d hurt each other.

“Safe? Do you think we’re stupid?! We know how to help her without anyone noticing. How the hell do you think she lived through her childhood?!”

“Tsubaki!” Shun’o scolded. No one was supposed to know she had powers before everything with Ichigo happened. If they let it slip Orihime would never forgive herself for not healing her brother.

“She didn’t have control over us. We were there but could only help save her life, we saved her a total of four times before her brother took her away.” Ayame whispered.

**I WILL KILL HIM!**

Ichigo went to his knees, holding his head as him and his hollow fought for dominance. Normally Ichigo would be able to stop him but they were both wanting the same thing. They both wanted to kill Reo and Zurui. The problem was, Ichigo was having a hard time coming up with reasons not to kill them.

Black energy started to swirl around him, pushing Isshin back.

“Ichigo! You need to think rationally!” But his words were lost on his son and hollow. They were both in his inner world “talking” it out.

Choosing that moment to wake up, Orihime felt the pain Ichigo was in by the spiritual energy he had swirling around himself. “Kurosaki-kun?” She called out

Ichigo and his hollow froze to see what she’d do or say next but wouldn’t look up.

Orihime was becoming overwhelmed. Everyone was upset with her, she just had the worst part of her captivity relived, her fairies were raging war inside her head; each feeling a strong emotion that was directed towards her.

 _‘Did they see what I did?’_ She wondered, it was crazy, but it would answer why Ichigo looked pissed but devastated at the same time, Isshin seemed heartbroken, Tsubaki’s rage was at a whole new level and Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku, Lily, and Shun’o were hurt.

“Yes, we fucking saw what you just relieved.” The offensive fairy shot back.

“No.” Orihime gasped. Her eyes going right to Ichigo’s terrified of what he’d say to her now.

Ichigo was shaking, barely able to contain all the emotions flying around his heart. When her eyes met his he knew he couldn’t talk to her right now.

“I, I can’t.” He whispered before he started to leave the room.

Panicking, Orihime called out his name for the first time, praying it would be enough to stop him from walking away. “Ichigo!”

He paused, hearing her desperate plea but he needed space. “Just give me time, please.” When she saw the water in his eyes, she knew there was no way she could ask him to stay. He needed time to process everything, so did she.

“We’ll be back with your stuff. Here, use my phone. Call your girl friends. And Orihime-chan? None of this is your fault.” After handing her his cell phone, Isshin hurried after his son.

Orihime sat in her bed, hysterically crying. Not only because Ichigo left or her fairies upset with her but for her past. Everything she held onto. How she loved her mother and father, did anything to try and please them but nothing seemed to work. Everything she did upset them when she tried to take care of her own needs it led to her brother being punished for her actions. Every single mean and degrading thing they ever said to her that she kept with her. How she was worthless, how she’d never amount to anything, she was a slut, a whore. No one would ever love someone as pathetic as her.

All the times her brother gave up something for himself to care for her. Losing his life at such an early age because of her. How she worked so incredibly hard to become a strong, independent woman. She could fight, she could hold her own with Soul Society, but seeing her father took it all away. How could she go back to that little girl who only wanted her father’s love?

“Orihime? You need help, Sweetie. This goes deeper than you can work out on your own.” Ayame tried to soothe her but also help the young healer so she could move past this and finally be free from her father’s hold.

“Ayame!”

“No Tsubaki. We are here to help and protect her. No matter what mistakes she may have made we are here for her.” The normally shy fairy spoke her mind. She knew Tsubaki was so upset because he was worried about Orihime but taking it out on her and not the two men who did this to her wasn’t the answer.

Glaring at the others, Tsubaki disappeared from sight, the others quickly followed his lead to give her time to grieve.

Orihime kept crying until there was nothing left to fall. Taking some deep, calming breaths she called for her healing dome. Her request was very specific; only heal what was under the skin. Keep all the marks but the after effects of dehydration, starvation, tore knee, all of it could be healed. She needed to feel human again, to be able to take care of herself.

Once they were done Orihime felt so much better. She could move on her own, she felt like herself again. She slowly stood on her own feet, feeling a little wobbly but otherwise okay, she dug through some of the clothes Ichigo brought her. She decided to wear one of his old sweats that were too small for him and a t-shirt, Orihime went to shower.

She took her time, with no one waiting on her she was able to scrub her hair, let the conditioner set while she carefully shaved. After washing out the conditioner and carefully washing her body (the bruises still hurt to touch) she got out and dressed for the day. She wasn’t okay but she would get there now that she was ready to face the truth.

She used Isshin’s phone to call Chizuru and Tatsuki, both agreed to come right over. After she hung up, Orihime made her bed and opened her bedroom window. She always believed letting a room air out was the perfect way to let the bad air out and the good air in. Well, unless the little blue men messed with the windows.

Waiting in the room it was named after, Orihime worked on keeping herself calm until her friends could get here. She was startled when the two people who always stayed with her when Soul Society was needed in the world of the living.

“Hitsugaya-san! Matsumoto-chan! W-what are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Orihime fired off. As far as she knew, they weren’t allowed back here because “they had interfered enough with the world of the living.”

“Orihime! Do you really think we wouldn’t be here for you? Even Toshiro threatened to quit if they didn’t give us time off to be here.” Matsumoto offered her arms out wide for the younger woman to come hug her if she wanted.

Seeing the opening, Orihime didn’t hesitate to hug the woman she saw as an older sister. “Thank you both so much.” She whispered as she squeezed a little tighter. Pulling away she went and gave Hitsugaya a hug as well. Normally, he’d try to get out of it but seeing her need to be accepted, the young captain hugged her back.

That’s what Chizuru and Tatsuki walked in on.

“Is everything okay?” Chizuru asked when she saw the captain and lieutenant.

“Yes, we just wanted to be here for our friend.” The busty blonde offered while her captain tried to get out of Orihime’s grasp. This broke the tension in the room and the women laughed at the blushing captain who was currently second thinking his trip here.

“Come, let’s go to the conference room. It’s not as comfy but it’s private.” Orihime offered the group to follow her. Once they were sitting down Orihime started.

“So, I um, I’ve been keeping so much to myself and I’m not sure where to start. Kurosaki-san and Kurosaki-kun left to get some of my things and I’m not legally allowed to leave the clinic without my guardian, or I go to Child Protective Services.”

“Well that’s okay, I think they’d wait for your aunt to get here. It’s only, what? A couple of days to drive?” Tatsuki questioned.  

“My Aunt isn’t my guardian. I haven’t been honest with you, but I don’t’ want to upset anyone. Please, before I continue just please let me finish before you leave.” She begged her friends to stay, if they left too Orihime wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it.

“Of course, we’re here for you.” Chizuru reached over and grabbed Orihime’s hand, just showing her support and giving her something to hold on to that will help keep her grounded.

“Take your time, Inoue-chan.” The only man in the room commanded. He wasn’t great with being sensitive, but he hoped using a soothing voice would get his point across.

“Okay, well my father is my legal guardian. Or he would be if he did a blood test to prove I’m his daughter. At least that’s what I thought, it turns out before my mother passed away, she signed off on my arranged marriage. I’m not sure who I would leave with but both men were the ones who held me captive.”

“I, I hurt my… I don’t want to call him my future husband, but I guess that’s what he is. His name is Kakamura, Reo. I hurt him by kicking him as hard as I could in his manhood.” She stopped when she saw Hitsugaya-san shudder. Orihime sent him an apologetic smile before continuing.

“After that, he hurt my leg and kicked me in the ribs a few times then left. I didn’t see him again before I left. After Kurosaki-kun came by on Monday my father was livid and started drinking again. Every night, while I was chained down, he’d beat on me until my broken rib punctured my lug. That’s what caused my powers to flare up and heal me enough to survive while I was rescued.” She was starting to cry but still got the just of what happened out.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’re here for you.” Tatsuki promised.

“If it came down to it, we could always bring you to Soul Society until you reach 18. Then you could come back and say you ran away. Don’t worry! We’ll keep you safe.”

“We would.” Toshiro agreed.

“T-thank you. It means a lot. Everyone is so upset with me, even my fairies are.”

“You stop that right now!” Chizuru slammed her hands on the table. “This is the problem with the world we live in, everyone blames the damn victim. The second you said no, it’s all on them. Humans don’t want to look at the real issue, they don’t want to think about the fact each person is capable of being that monster so instead, it falls on the victim. Did you fight hard enough? Did you try everything in your power? None of that matters because if they didn’t attack you, you wouldn’t be in this spot!”

Everyone stared in surprise at her outburst, unsure of what to say next but each knowing her hard words were the truth. It all falls on the victim to press charges, fight off the attacker, be able to remember enough, then be attacked in court to try and save the offender.

“She’s correct, Inoue-san. You have nothing to feel guilty or sorry about.”

“Chad-kun! Uryu-kun! Please, come join us.” Orihime greeted. Smiling as Chad sat next to Tatsuki.

They were so cute, thinking she didn’t know they’ve been dating for a little longer than her and Kurosaki-kun. Thinking of him sent a sharp pain to her heart. Did she lose him already? Could he ever forgive her? Would he even be her friend? She needed to stop thinking about that. If she wanted answers, she’d need to bite the bullet and speak to him.

The group understood what was going through her mind and started chatting with each other to keep Orihime’s mind busy until Ichigo came back. It would be easier to go over everything once instead of over and over. If she chose to press charges, she’d have to go over her story and have it torn apart many times.

About 20 minutes later, Ichigo and Isshin came into the clinic. Ichigo dropped off Orihime’s stuff to her room, expecting to see her but saw she was missing. He rushed over to the conference room and found their friends all talking until they noticed him. Then, everyone went silent.

Isshin noticed the shift when his son came into view, it hurt. As a father he was watching his son live with two lives, he had to protect two worlds and now he was hurting in the worst way.

**Flashback, Isshin’s POV**

“Ichigo! Ichigo stop!” I yelled as he made his way back up to his room. I didn’t think he would be moving so fast, all I did was hand over my phone, and he was gone. As I rushed up the stairs, two at a time, I heard him slam his door. _‘Fuck.’_

_Crash!_

He was destroying his room, this wasn’t a good sign. I opened the door right as his lamp was soring my way. Ducking I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms around his body, pinning his arms to his side.

“Let go of me!”

“No.”

“Get the fuck off of me!” His struggles were starting to die a bit, but they were changing in a different way. Instead of thrashing around, he moved his hands up and clenched them into my shirt while his whole-body shook.

Sobbing, his legs buckled, and I lowered us to the ground, holding my son while he fell apart. “Why does she think so low of me? Am I really that fucked up people think I’d blame _her_ for what _they_ did?” His questions were devastating. He didn’t understand where she was coming from and as he always does, he was blaming himself.

“Ichigo, you listen to me. You did nothing wrong, that girl loves you with her whole heart. She’s scared and traumatized, it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with what she went through since she was born.” I tried to reassure him.

“She can’t fucking love me if she can’t even trust me.” His sob was slowly calming.

“I won’t tell you what to do. If you can’t do this then I’ll support you but if you do want to stay with her it’s going to take time for you to both heal, you were affected too. You forget I’ve dealt with this before and sadly, I don’t think it will be the last time.”

He pulled away enough to look at me, I could see his eyes were a little black around the edges. _‘Oh Ichigo, I don’t think you even know how deep your feelings for her run. Even your hollow is upset.’_

“Do you want to take some time and then go with me to grab some of her stuff?”

“Yeah, let me shower.”

We both went our separate ways, neither speaking about what just happened with a silent agreement that no one would ever know what went on up here.

**End of Flashback**

“Orihime-chan! You look much better.” Isshin cheered as he made his way over to the healer to check on her. The doctor in him needed to make sure she was as good as she looked. This caused Orihime to giggle before she explained herself.

“Kurosaki-san, I healed all my internal injuries. The only thing that’s left is the appearance. I’m okay.”

Ichigo sucked in a breath, did this mean what he hoped it did?

“That’s great, how does it feel?” He kept his spot kneeling down in front of her.

“It feels great, I showered and made the bed without help. I feel a little more like myself.” Her slight smile warmed the older man’s heart. Nodding, he made his way to the table to sit and wait for her to make the next move. Ichigo was still standing in the doorway unsure of himself.

Seeing him hesitate, Chizuru surprised everyone by standing up and moving from her spot right next to Orihime. She sat at the next open chair and gave Ichigo a pointed look clearly saying, “sit by her or leave.”

Nodding his head in thanks, Ichigo moved to sit by his girlfriend. It was extremely awkward. He made eye contact with her once he was sitting but quickly looked away when he saw the question in her eyes. He didn’t have an answer for her yet.

Knowing he wouldn’t say anything with everyone here but before she could talk to him, he needed to know what happened and what her plan was moving forward.   

“Okay, Kurosaki-kun, please don’t leave until I finish.” She kept her head down, unable to look at him so she waited to hear his answer. He slid his hand on her’s that was sitting on her leg, clenching his old sweats.

Without looking, she took a deep breath and called out her fairies. She needed them to understand. “Growing up, we didn’t have anything. My mother and father never loved me, well my mother might have deep down… I’m not sure but I know my father never has and still doesn’t. In fact, he hates me; maybe even blames me for what went wrong in his life. We were fed every four days and given a bottle of water to last us the day. I’m not sure how we fell through the cracks, but no one ever checked in on us.” Ichigo’s hand tightened its hold on her hand then turned so he could hold it with their fingers intertwined. Using that support, she continued with her story.

“I don’t remember a lot, I think I may have blocked it out. Is that possible Kurosaki-san?”

Everyone turned their attention to the doctor in the room. “Yes, if something is traumatic your mind will block it out to save yourself.”

“The moment that stands out to me the most is when they dressed me up in a new kimono, I thought-“ She took in a shuddered breath.

“I thought they were finally starting to love me, but I was wrong. They introduced me to a dozen men. One touched me to make me look at him, looking back now I realize it was Nakamura Reo. He bought me when I was young, maybe eight. That was the same night my brother took me away. It was just the two of us until I lost him. Then, it was just me. I- I found out about my aunt later but I wouldn’t leave the only home I knew. I couldn’t leave my home that held all Sora-nii’s memories. We agreed that she’d sign the lease, but she couldn’t adopt me; she was able to claim me at the police station since we look very similar, but we had no idea where my parents were at the time.” She squeezed Ichigo’s hand getting ready to speak openly and was rewarded with his small words of encouragement.

“Just take your time.”

“I’ve worked hard, Tatsuki was amazing and helped me till I reached the status of a black belt. I can take care of myself, I can fight and heal, and I think Sora-nii would be proud of the woman I am. However, all that went out the window with I saw my father. I couldn’t think straight. All I could think of was keeping him happy so I could run. I thought of all the times he hit me growing up, watching him beat my brother within an inch of his life. So, I did what I had to. I survived. I didn’t even think about bringing my Shun Shun Rikka out, I didn’t want you to see me so weak.” She looked at each of them praying they’d believe her.

“Looking back there are many things I could have done differently but none of that matters because I did what I needed to, and I lived. I’m truly struggling now, everyone wants me to turn him in and let the courts figure it out but guys, he’s still my dad.” She let go of Ichigo’s hand to cover her face while more tears started to fall. That was so hard to admit.

She was turned in her chair, not to face her boyfriend but to face his father. She wasn’t sure when he even moved but she was quickly pulled into his arms. “Orihime-chan, he may be your blood, but he isn’t your dad. Look around this room, everyone in here is family to you and none of us are related to you by blood. Does that mean you love us less?”

“No!” She quickly answered.

“Are you okay to continue?” He questioned as he helped her back to her seat.

“Yes, I can keep going.” She waited until he pulled up a chair to be near her for silent support. Ichigo pulled her into a hug and whispered, “You’re doing great, Inoue.” When he sat back in his chair, he grabbed her hand again.

“My other worry is them trying to destroy everything I’ve worked so hard on in court. Nakamura-san has a signed document with my mother’s signature on it stating he is my future husband. He can marry me at any time. He um, the only sexual activity between us, I’m sorry. He kissed me, all over, grouped me and check to see if I was still pure.” She looked towards Ichigo expecting to see disgust, but he held her gaze, giving her a slight nod to go on.

“When he was about to, he wanted to-“

“He was going to rape you,” Ichigo growled. He wasn’t trying to cut her off, but he didn’t think she was ready to admit that out loud yet.

“Yes, when I had the perfect moment, I kicked him as hard as I could in his manhood and kept kicking. He called my father back in and I was overpowered. After another kick to the ribs, I blacked out. I didn’t even wake up until Kurosaki-kun came to my front door. When he did my father through clothes on me and held a gun to the door. He said if gave anything away he’d shoot you. I couldn’t let him!” Her grey eyes were locked with Ichigo’s begging him to understand the situation she was in.

“You did the best thing you could. Try to keep going and don’t worry about what I think.” He needed to hear everything, even if each word she spoke broke his heart.

“After that, he started drinking again, he kept beating me and each time someone came to check on me he’d get so angry at me. Like I was setting him up. I’m not sure. I didn’t eat, they didn’t give me water, I- they wouldn’t let me use the restroom. When my father kicked my side, it punctured my lung. I started wheezing and honestly thought I was going to die. He panicked and ran. The rest you were all here for.”

It wasn’t everything, but it was an amazing start. Each person told her how proud they were of her for sharing her story and thanked her for trusting them. They built her up and proved no matter what happened, they’d all be by her side.

“Do you have any ideas on what you want to do?” Isshin asked her after a bit. Not wanting to push her but hoping this was a good sign she was ready to stand up to the man who should have protected her from the world but tore her down.

“I want to speak to my aunt and if she’s willing, I want her to file for custody and I’m willing to take my father to court. I will press charges with both but I’m not sure if there is anything we can do about Nakamura-san.”

“You let me worry about that, Orihime,” Matsumoto said in her sing-song voice; clearly, she was going to do something, but she wouldn’t share what that was. Toshiro followed the blonde out of the room, ready to help in any way they could once they were out of these bodies.

Isshin could see the young couple wanted to speak but didn’t want to be rude and ask the others to leave. Being Isshin, he had no problem speaking out.

“Why don’t we let you talk, may I set up a time for the police to come to take your statement and call your aunt?”

“Yes, please. Could we talk back in my room?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” The two slowly made their way down the hall until they reached her room. Sitting on the bed, Orihime watched Ichigo pull his chair closer so they could be close without sharing the bed. The only problem was, neither one wanted to break the silence in fear of what would come of this conversation.

“Kurosaki-kun?”

“Inoue?”

They both chuckled at their timing.

“Would you go first?” Orihime was desperate to hear from him after he left so quickly before.

“Yeah, I want you to know how proud I am of you. I was so focused on one thing. I couldn’t look at anything else. I feel like such an ass. When I heard you think I’d never forgive you for someone forcing themselves on you, Gods Inoue, that hurt.”

“I didn’t mean to-“

“Stop, let me finish Inoue. Please, I need to.” He waited for her to nod before continuing with his words.

“I didn’t realize how much you meant to me until I felt completely betrayed by your trust. What they did, fuck. I’d never blame you, ever. You’re still as much my girlfriend now as you were before but I just don’t know what to do.” Sighing he put his head down into his hands.

“Do you think we should, do you want to take a break?” Orihime was dying on the inside asking him that but they may need to if it would help him.

“Do you? Fuck, you were the one who went through hell and here you are asking what I want. What do you want?”

“I want you. I always have.” She started to cry. Orihime was trying so hard to stay strong but it felt like she was losing him.

“Do you though? When things get bad you thought the worst of me. I don’t get it.”

“Don’t you see it? You have a family, a future. You’re going to college and going to get a job, fall in love and start a family. I don’t have any of that. If I don’t get scholarships I’m not going to college. I could take out a loan but paying them back while trying to survive isn’t something I can do. Then having him touch me, he took away the only thing I had to offer you; my body. You already have my heart, but I have nothing to offer you.”

Ichigo sat on the bed and pulled her in tight. He held her while she cried and thought overall she said. This would be one of the hardest things they’ve ever do, no matter what they decided to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I work with domestic sex trafficking in the USA and domestic violence offenders. I’ve been getting a bunch of messages about how “she let it happen” and that is something that drives me up a wall. Why do we victim blame? In this story we know she isn’t making this up, she was attacked and yet it’s her fault? All I ask is you think about that because the chances of you knowing someone personally, who’s been a victim, is very high and these harsh words could destroy them and any progress they’ve made. 
> 
> Also, I know this would take months, maybe even years for Orihime to be ready to speak up but I didn’t want to draw out this story. I hope you are enjoying this story and really think about what I’ve said. I love the idea of “calling people in” where you point something out that can make a difference. This story is very tame compared to my original copy but I wanted to make the idea of victim blaming a part of our daily lives so we can take a second and think about it.   
> Anyways, thank you so much for reading this story. We’ve reached the turning point! As always please let me know if there is something that could make it better or easier to read.   
> Brianna


	8. Strength

“Hey, where’s Inoue?” Ichigo asked his father after checking all around the clinic. She wasn’t in their house either, typically she was always with someone or she was meditating in her room but neither of his sisters knew where she was. He knew it was irrational, there was no way either man would show up here, but he couldn’t help but feel protective of her. Even though they were in limbo, still together but there was something off with them.

The conversation last night ended when they both were emotionally drained. It was the first night Ichigo went back to his room to sleep. It didn’t feel right to stay there. The couple needed some time for themselves, to sleep on all the information they were given. The problem was after Orihime opened up about her wants and needs, Ichigo never had a chance to talk to her the next morning. He was planning on speaking to her after breakfast, but she was pulled away by the officers to get her report. He stood to go with them, but she asked to do it alone. She said she needed to do this herself and if he was there, she’d worry about his feelings.

They should have been done by now, but she was gone! Now Ichigo was worried they took her if they didn’t then where the hell was she?

“She’ll be back tonight. They needed her to figure out some paperwork and were faxing paperwork over to her aunt for emergency custody. Ichigo, there is something you need to know. Her father, Zurui wants custody as well. He filed for a paternity test, which we had to do.”

“So she’s stuck going back to him?! Why didn’t you get me?” Ichigo was seething.

“No! Do you really think I’d let her go back to that man?” Isshin tried not to grin when his son set himself up for a lesson.

“No, I just, I don’t know.”

“So why do you think that reaction is any different than Orihime-chan being worried you’d never forgive her for what they did?”

Isshin saw his son turn the words over in his head. Oh, how Isshin loved being right!

Ichigo walked away without a word, clearly shocked by the little trap he walked into. Isshin didn’t expect him to say anything, he knew it would be a big revelation and if it wasn’t so serious Isshin would have enjoyed teasing his son.  For now, he’d let the brooding teen go. He still had a clinic to run after all.

**Four hours later**

“Kurosaki-san! I’m back” Orihime called out as she entered the clinic. She was hoping to update him so he could help her understand what it all meant.

“He’s taking the girls shopping. We were out of food and Yuzu was very upset with what she had to work with.” Ichigo spoke up from his dad’s office.

“Kurosaki-kun! I can see Yuzu-chan works hard, I’d love to make her dinner this week. Maybe some of the brownies from the bakery that she loves so much... Do you think your father would be okay with that?”

“I’m sure he’d even help you, but I’d keep him out of the kitchen. He’s horrible at cooking.” Ichigo made a face then shivered. This would be something to ask about later, she was sure there would be a funny story that goes along with this.

“How did it go? Dad told me your father filed for custody. You doing okay?” He rubbed the back of his neck while looking at her feet. The young man was having a difficult time figuring out what was okay and not okay to do.

“Kurosaki-kun? Are you okay?” Her counter question had him smiling. Of course, she’d want to make sure he was alright even though she was going through all this.

“I’m fine. Hey, let’s go to my room. It would be good to get you out of the clinic.”

“Okay!” Bringing her crutches with her just in case someone stopped by, the couple made their way to Ichigo’s room.

“Sorry about the mess, I forgo-“

“Oh my goodness! What happened Kurosaki-kun?! Are you okay? Is Kon okay?”

“Orihime, my love! Let me hug those beautiful mountains.” Kon yelled while soring through the air in an attempt to “hug” the healer.

Ichigo grabbed him before he could touch Orihime. “You won’t be touching anyone.” He growled out while throwing the perverted lion out the door. Shutting it while pulling Orihime in the safety of his room. Ichigo kicked a path to his bed for them to sit down. He didn’t get a chance to come up with a reason for the mess. Orihime wasn’t going to give him time.

Turning to her right, tucking her legs under her body to face him, Orihime took his hands in hers to look them over. He had minor cuts that proved he was the reason for the mess in his room. Without a word, she healed his cuts but kept them in her lap once she was finished. This caused him to turn towards her and move closer.

“Kurosaki-kun? What happened?”

“I got pissed.” He sighed.

“When you left yesterday?”

“Inoue” he started but wasn’t sure what to say next.

“Hey, it’s okay. This is hard on all of us, but you were right. We need to be honest with each other. Do you want to talk about any of it?” She offered.

“I hate talking. I don’t know what we’re doing or where we go from here.”’

“May I hug you? I know it always makes me feel better, maybe it’ll help.” Orihime offered with blush covering her face.

Smirking, Ichigo pulled her into his arms after getting comfortable with his back against the wall. A few minutes later Ichigo whispered into her hair, “you’re right, it does help.”

They both stayed up there, just enjoying each other’s company and the comfort it brought while they waited for the rest of the Kurosaki family to come home.

* * *

 

After dinner, Isshin told the girls they’d have company and need to stay upstairs. They did not take that well.

“Thank you so much for another amazing dinner, Yuzu-chan!” Orihime praised the blushing twin.

“You’re welcome, Orihime-chan.”

“Yuzu, Karin, I’ll need you two to stay upstairs in a bit. We’ll be having people over to discuss what’s going to happen next with the trial.” Isshin tried to explain.

“What?” Karin wasn’t happy with the idea of them leaving her out of another issue. She had some spiritual awareness, but no one ever wanted to explain to her what was going on, she was always stuck being terrified for her family, but she accepted it. She couldn’t help so she let it slide. This? What if someone came for Orihime and they didn’t know. They could easily greet the man who caused all this and never know!

“We should be there. We care about her too!” Her blonde twin added on.

“You don’t need to be involved.” Ichigo wanted to protect his sisters. They were too young to be dealing with this.

“So more secrets. Believe it or not, we can help. We aren’t little kids anymore! What happened to her could happen to anyone.”

Karin’s cold words shook Isshin and Ichigo to the core, as much as they hated to admit it, anyone could be a victim. Ages 9 to 15 were the target age for pimps to pull their scheme on them.

“It’s not-“

Orihime cut her boyfriend off. She wasn’t normally this bold to cause any tension, but this was her life they’d be discussing and if her story could save someone, she’d be more than happy to help by sharing her story. “I think they should stay. If you don’t mind, Kurosaki-san. It might be helpful for others to hear what will happen next. But if you do, I hope you both will leave if any of this is too much for you to handle.”

Isshin thought it over for a moment. He really didn’t like the idea of this becoming public knowledge but maybe she was right. Maybe sharing her story could help, he’d want his girls to fight if they were ever attacked and what Orihime was doing was brave. It was her life and if she was comfortable with them being there then he would allow it. But the illegal part he’d have them discuss after the girls left.

“Fine, you two can sit in but you let us explain everything to Orihime and remember, anything you hear will not change the Orihime you know now. Her past is what made her the woman she is today.”

When they both agreed to his terms, they gave Orihime a hug before cleaning up dinner and helping them move more chairs into the living room. Inoue hated being so useless, she wanted to help but Yuzu didn’t know she could heal herself, so she had to keep the act up. Using her crutches, she made her way to the living room and sat down on the love seat. She had a feeling Ichigo would want to be near her during this, both to support her but also to keep him calm. He confessed he was struggling with his hollow, but both were soothed by her spiritual pressure.

The meeting consisted of all Orihime’s loved ones and a few people that could help answer her questions. Ichigo and Tatsuki both squeezed in to sit by Inoue with Chizuru by her feet. The twins were sitting with their father on another couch. Chad, Uryu sat with Urahara, Tessai, and Yoruichi around the coffee table and Kon was by the television. The twins didn’t know he had a soul but Kon made it clear he wanted to be supportive, even if he had to act like a toy off Doc McStuffins.

“Well, I wanted to thank everyone for coming over on such short notice.” Orihime awkwardly started off the conversation.

Everyone gave some sort of response that ranged from a quick nod to “of course!”

“I’ll start off by thanking everyone for standing by me and helping me go to the police today. It was very uncomfortable, but I was able to cover everything. Last night I asked if it was possible to reject the block, I had on my childhood memories. It was horrible but I was able to give the officers plenty of examples on how dangerous he was and what he did to us growing up. I explained how we almost died a few times. It was terrible. I told them about why we ran away, how we don’t’ even know my father’s last name. All I know about him is what he looks like, how he hits, and his first name; Zurui. I then told them everything about him finding me at the bakery and what happened when they were holding me hostage in my apartment.”

“That’s great ‘Hime” Chizuru praised.

“Orihime-chan, we didn’t know.” Yuzu was starting to cry, she knew Orihime was hurt but had no idea how bad her life was as a young child. All they really knew about her past was she lived with her older brother until something horrible happened and he passed away. Then, she started living on her own with the help of her aunt from out of town. How long have they known this woman who was dating their brother? Years? How was there so much they didn’t know about her? Never asked her?

“It’s okay. You didn’t need to know at the time.” Orihime gave a small smile to the twins, hoping to ease some of their worries.

“I think, I think I’m going to go upstairs. I’m sorry.” Yuzu quickly stood and ran out of the room. Karin followed her sister at a slower pace. While she wouldn’t show it, Karin was also disturbed by what Orihime had told them.

“Give them time.” Isshin looked directly at Orihime, knowing she’d feel guilty about being the cause of their pain. She nodded but couldn’t help but feel terrible about the outcome.

“What else happened while you were at the station?” Urahara tried to get the conversation back on track.

“Oh, um they said my father was fighting for custody. They were very friendly, and video chatted with my aunt so we could come up with a plan. She was at her work, so they were able to fax her the forms she needed to fill out and send them right back. She filed for emergency custody and it was granted by the courts. (Turning towards Ichigo, she continued on) That’s why it took so long, we had to wait our turn. The custody stands for 30 days and is also a no-contact order for him. My Aunt is coming up here this week, I think she said she’d be here Wednesday, and I’d move in with her until court is over.”

“I went in after you to file for temporary custody until your aunt gets here. That is if you are okay with staying with us, you will move from the clinic to our house.” Isshin explained.

“Really? You wouldn’t mind having me here longer?”

“You are always welcome, Orihime-chan. Besides! Ichigo told me you are making dinner this week, I’m excited to help out!”

“Oh haha, o-okay.” Orihime didn’t want to say no but also remembered her boyfriend’s warning about their father’s cooking skills.

“He’ll keep you company, but he won’t touch anything,” Ichigo interjected. The group of friends laughed.

“Why are you here, Urahara? You aren’t close with Inoue-san, and it isn’t soul society related.” The Quincy was still upset with how the older man spoke to his friend when they were all training to fight for Soul Society.

“I’m here to fill Isshin and Inoue-chan in on what we accomplished. The official letter that signed over your hand in marriage has been destroyed. We found Nakamura and I have someone following him around the clock to make sure he doesn’t try anything while the courts handle the rest.  Also, I have fudged some official paperwork and there are now hospital reports that back up Inoue-chan’s story for all the times they almost killed her. I’ve also added myself as her victim’s advocate. Now she’ll have someone with her when others wouldn’t be allowed. I can be with her for everything unless she requests for me to leave. This will help your case and gives you someone to answer questions you might not be sure how to answer.” Hat and clogs responded, not the least bit upset with the question he was given.

“You really don’t have to do all this. I can manage on my own.” Orihime protested.

“That may be, but you don’t have to.” He smirked behind his fan knowing he’d already won this battle with the little healer. She was getting better at accepting help with everything that had happened recently.

“I also called a cleaning crew to handle your apartment. I’m meeting with them tomorrow morning along with your landlord to get the locks changed and the new key for you and your aunt. You may go back to school in a few days, but I think you need a little longer for some of the bruises to heal and you to get caught up on all your missed work. I’ll call the school tomorrow and have them give Ichigo all your homework until you are ready.”

Orihime was stunned by Isshin’s words. How could one man do so much for her without being asked? The idea of going back and cleaning up after everything they did to her terrified her. She was so thankful for his kind offer. Being able to go back home and have all the reminders of what she went through gone helped her breathe easier.

“I also, I set up a therapy appointment for myself. I start this Thursday after school. She specializes in domestic violence and trauma.” She wasn’t sure how others would take that news. Therapy has such a horrible stigma attached to it. If you need mental help than you must be crazy, and Orihime was many things, but crazy wasn’t one of them.

“That’s a wise choice, Inoue-san. I think it will be very beneficial for you.” Uryu chimed in, truly impressed by her courage to face her past. It was a great chance for her to let go of what she’s been through and be able to live her life however she sees fit.

“I’m proud of you. You are a strong woman and I’m proud my son has you in his life.” Isshin added to the conversation. The truth behind his words rang clear.

“We’re all proud of you. This time next year you’ll be in a much better place.” Her best friend added while letting the busty teen hug her tight.

The group stayed a little longer but once they left, Orihime made her way upstairs to speak to Ichigo’s sisters, said brother in tow.

“Inoue, you really don’t have to. We warned them they wouldn’t like it.” He tried to sooth the gentlewoman from the guilt he knew she was feeling.

“I want to, I want them to know I’m okay and nothing has changed.”

“Alright, well I’m going with ya. I can read them better than you can.”

She agreed to his thinking and quickly knocked on the door. It was only a couple seconds before their door opened. Karin stood there with red eyes, breaking both teens hearts.

“Oh Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan, I’m so so sorry I never told you before.” Orihime couldn’t stand seeing the twins so upset.

“Let’s all sit down.” Ichigo's “older brother drive” was kicking in to keep everyone safe and part of that is to offer a safe place for them to talk. Standing in the hallway didn’t meet those standards.

Once inside, Ichigo and Orihime sat on one bed while the girls sat on the other. Not sure how to start Yuzu just spoke up about what she was feeling.

“Orihime-chan, I had no idea that’s what you went through growing up. You’re just so sweet and caring. I never thought-” She stopped mid-sentence unsure of what to say next, you never think of the happy go lucky person having a difficult time.

“That’s what most people assume when they think of me. I don’t mind; plus, I wouldn’t want people to treat me differently or worry they have to be careful around me or watch what they say around me. I’m the same Orihime you knew before, you just know me a little better now.”

“How do you do it? How are you so happy?” Karin couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She had every reason to be like Ichigo. Push everyone away and keep up this bad boy reputation. Maybe rebel? Karin wasn’t sure but the happy life Orihime had wasn’t what she would think of when thinking of someone who was a victim.

“Because I chose to live my life with happiness, love, and fun. Not every day is good but there is always one good thing that happens every day. My brother gave up a lot to keep me safe and I won’t waste this chance he gave me at a better future.”

“Now, are you two okay?”

Ichigo couldn’t help but feel lucky. His sisters and girlfriend were having an extremely difficult conversation, but everyone was being respectful of the other’s feelings and making great headway. He had a feeling no matter what happened between himself and Orihime, she would always be close to his family.

The next few months were going to be draining, court would be a nightmare, but once it was all over, Orihime would be free. The question Ichigo went to bed with would haunt him for weeks to come, _what if Yuzu caught Orihime’s slip up about “rejecting the block on her memories.”_

 


	9. Reunion

The week went by in a flash for the tight group of friends. Monday found everyone but Orihime going back to their normal schedules filled with school, work, and extracurricular activities. Isshin offered Orihime a chance to help at the clinic. She was thrilled to be of assistance and learn something new. Plus, it was her way of trying to pay back a little of what he did for her.

Tuesday night the Kurosaki’s came home to a house that smelled delicious. The young woman went all out, making a little of everything so each member of the family was able to eat their favorite food. Much to Ichigo surprise, it all looked normal. Well, minus Inoue’s plate that looked odd with red bean paste on everything. He wasn’t even sure what she was eating under it… To each their own though.

Wednesday was a bit of a struggle. Orihime had everything ready to go back to school and get caught up with all their classes. It was their last year in high school and she didn’t want to jeopardize it by not having enough “seat time” to graduate.

Isshin had offered to drop them off since Orihime still needed to act as if she can’t walk well and needed crutches. The teens agreed and enjoyed the ride. Isshin had been very calm this morning and seemed to be trying to make the transition as easy as possible. Or that’s what they thought.

Ichigo had just closed the door after helping Orihime out when it happened.

Rolling down the window, Isshin yelled, loudly, “Goodbye my sweet boy! Daddy loves you!” He then blew a dramatic kiss to his son before driving off, a loud laugh was heard as he pulled out of the drop off lane.

“Fucking Old Man! I’m going to kill him tonight.” The pissed teen growled out as he stomped towards the entrance to the building. He paused mid-step when he heard the sound of betrayal.

Slowly turning, Ichigo saw his “girlfriend” full fledge laughing. When he met her eyes, she quickly tried to stop but the shaking of her body didn’t stop. Lifting an eyebrow at her in a questioning manner, Orihime lost it and started laughing even harder.

“I’m so sorry, Kurosaki-kun!” She tried to stop but she couldn’t help it. That was a brilliant plan on Isshin’s part to make his son feel safe before doing something he knew Ichigo wouldn’t be able to retaliate for.

“And what, may I ask, is so funny?” He sounded angry but his smirk gave him away.

“Nothing.” She giggled while they slowly made their way toward the entrance to switch into their inside slippers before going to first period. When Orihime walked into the classroom everyone stopped talking and stared.

Ichigo was behind her to hold the door open so he didn’t realize why she stopped. “Is everything okay?” He questioned.

“Yes, sorry.” Orihime put her head down and slowly made her way past different desks till she reached her own and sat down. Now she had a new problem, where did she put her crutches? As if reading her mind, Chad came over and took them from her and helped lay them between her and the wall so no one would trip on them, but she could still get them if she needed to get up.

“Thank you.” She smiled up to her tall friend before noticing that once again, everyone was watching her like a hawk. That didn’t last long though when Ichigo sat down and realized what was going on he was quick to nip it in the bud.

“Oi! What the hell are you lookin’ at?”

His harsh words caused everyone to snap their attention to him before going on with what they were doing beforehand. No one wanted to piss off Ichigo for fear of his temper. Thankfully the teacher walked in, causing everyone to focus on the board.

The rest of the day went by fairly well, except any time someone was able to get the healer alone, they’d ask what happened to her. Some were even bold enough to ask if she needed protection from Ichigo. When the final bell rang, both Orihime and Ichigo were ready to go home.

Isshin left the clinic around the time the kids got home. He wanted to make sure all the paperwork was in order and double check everything. If he was the reason a report was thrown out of court, Isshin didn’t know what he’d do. While he was downstairs in the kitchen going over everything, Orihime was upstairs trying on her third outfit.

“Inoue, you look great in everything. Just pick one.” Ichigo was on the verge of begging. While his hollow was grumbling about not being able to watch her change.

“Oh Kurosaki-kun, it has to be perfect.” Orihime lightly chided her boyfriend. She knew it wasn’t something he’d normally do but since they were all hanging out he’d suck it up.

The two younger girls watched the couple bicker in awe. Yuzu had a smile on her face, loving how well the two fit. Orihime was the sun and Ichigo was the moon. Karin was laughing on the inside at her older brother's pain. She found it hilarious he was watching Orihime show off different outfits that she could barely tell a difference in. He must really care about her or he would have left already. Both girls were happy their brother found someone, even if Karin still didn’t understand how he snagged Orihime.

“Forget the outfits, what I want to know is if you two are really a couple,” Karin smirked when everyone froze, clearly thrown off by her comment.

“Karin!” Yuzu couldn’t believe her sister would say such a thing.

“What? Out of all people, why do they still call each other by their surnames?” Didn’t Yuzu understand that’s what little sisters do? They put their big brothers in awkward situations.

She had a point, even Ichigo could admit it, he knew it was odd they still were formal with each other when they were dating but calling Inoue by her given name seemed too personal. Orihime felt the same. She had loved him from afar for so long, calling him Ichigo after only a few months of dating might be too soon. The last thing either of them wanted was to overwhelm or possibly make the other uncomfortable.

“Oh hush, Karin. I think it’s cute. Ignore her and show us the next outfit!” The blonde cheered. Ichigo was secretly thanking every God he knew that at least one of his sisters were good. Fitting that one of the twins were evil.

“O-okay. I’ll be quick, I promise.” She looked at her boyfriend as she spoke the last part, hopefully keeping him at ease.

This last outfit was perfect. Orihime was wearing black leggings with a long white sweater. It was comfy and casual while still looking nice for her aunt. Yuzu quickly stood and started pulling Inoue down to the mirror so she could do her hair, it was a simple bun, but Yuzu added her clips to the side of the bun to stand out.

Smiling at her reflection, the young woman reached for the blonde’s smaller hands and held them tight. “Thank you, so much.”

“Of course, it’s what family does.”

The two shared a look before they finished packing her clothes. It was finally time to go home and meet with her aunt face to face.

Isshin pulled up to Orihime’s apartment complex, deciding to park in the back to give her a little more time to breathe. Kurosaki-san figured she’d be worried about meeting her aunt in person. Helping her up the stairs, Isshin and Ichigo stood behind her (Ichigo had her suitcase), they waited for her aunt to open the door. Even though barging in on the woman who dropped everything to help.

The front door opened to reveal a woman in her 40s, with short light red hair. She had grey eyes with light makeup to bring out her natural beauty. She was a little shorter than Inoue, wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt.

“Orihime? Oh, my goodness, look at you! You are even more beautiful in person.” She moved to go in for a hug but stopped before touching her. She wasn’t sure how to greet someone she’d only met in person once. Plus, Ann felt guilty. If she would have fought harder when Orihime was younger, this might never have happened.

Straightening herself, she stepped back to let the others enter the apartment. “Please, come in.”

Once everyone was sitting down in the small living room, Isshin started some basic chit chat to gauge how Orihime would be with Ann after they left. He could tell they were a little uncomfortable with each other, but he felt they’d be okay with him and his son leaving.

Ichigo hugged Orihime before he left, realizing he’d miss not seeing her first thing in the morning and the last thing at night but it was time to get back to reality.

With the men gone, Orihime and Ann changed into their pajamas and met in the kitchen for a cup of tea. Once both ladies had a nice, steamy cup in hand, they started discussing what was going on.

“Orihime, dear, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you. I never should have left you. I-“

“Stop, I don’t blame you and I know no one else does either.”

“But I’m the adult, it was my job to look after you! That, it doesn’t matter I suppose. I’m here now and I want to help. I spoke to my husband and job, we were able to work it out so I can take leave from work, I’ll be here for you every step of the way.” Ann was trembling, she placed her teacup on the counter, alongside Orihime’s to take the young woman’s hands in her own.

“Thank you, I start therapy tomorrow. I’m excited yet nervous. Does that even make sense?” Orihime worried.

“Yes. You’ve been through so much for such a young age. It won’t be easy, but I know you’ll come out of this better than before.”

They shared a watery smile and chatted a little longer before heading to bed. Isshin also replaced Orihime’s old couch with a hide a bed. The young teen took the pull-out bed while her aunt took the bedroom. Everything was starting to look up.

School went much smoother on Thursday, no one dared ask any questions and Orihime was able to convince Ichigo to eat lunch with his friends on the roof while she ate by the trees with hers. He may have agreed but she could feel his eyes on her the whole time. She smiled up towards the roof, knowing full well he’d see before going back to talking with her friends.

When school ended, Ichigo had to work but Ann was there to take Orihime to her first therapy session. Her aunt waited outside for it to end. Hoping she’d stick with it, she knew from experience that your first session was mainly getting to know you, what goals you may have and a general idea on what the two of you would work on. It could be scary to look at the big picture the first time you’re meeting someone.

Finishing her third magazine, Ann turned towards the door as her brave, young niece exited the room.   
Her counselor called after her, “I’ll see you on Tuesday and then again on Thursday.”

“Twice a week?” Ann asked.

“Yes, she said when we get to a point where she feels we can move down to once a week we will but right now it’s best for me to see her twice a week in order to make sure I’m handling things well and if I need anything, I’ll see her regularly,” Orihime answered.

“Makes sense, how did it go?”

“It was good! I was a little nervous but we were able to cover a quick summary of why I’m here and give me support during the trial. I’m excited to see some changes. Our main goal is to get everything in the open, she said breaking down in a safe place and start healing will help with my trial.”

“I’m really proud of you, Orihime. Let’s go home and order take out, maybe watch some Syfy movies?”

“Yes!” Orihime cheered at the idea of yummy food and a few movies. Thankfully she didn’t have much homework, so she was able to get it all done while they waited for food. Before bed, she sent a text to everyone to let them know how it went and what the plan was moving forward. Everyone was thrilled with the update and promised to meet up early for school so they could all chat.

….

Inoue Ann was awarded temporary custody of Orihime that Friday. They were also informed that the trial would start in two months’ time. Those months were filled with girls nights every Sunday, even Karin and Yuzu would join them from time to time.

Orihime was taking her therapy seriously and was making progress, while she was terrified to go to court, she felt better each day knowing she’d finally get justice.

Ann was proud to see her niece was so well rounded, in high school it was common to see new couples spend all their time together and neglect their friends but not Orihime. She was getting better physically, off crutches (Orihime was thrilled to stop acting as she needed them), bonding with her friends and going on dates with Ichigo.  Ann may have thought they were too serious she also saw how the young man looked at Orihime when he thought no one was looking. They were in love, not puppy love that would fade over time but true one of a kind love.

Orihime was proud of herself too. Mentally, she was starting to see that whatever the reason her parents didn’t love her had nothing to do with her. They had their own issues they needed to work out and sadly, Orihime and her brother were the ones on the receiving end of their anger.

Ichigo and Orihime had moved past their shy nature and started expressing their feelings more openly. Still no kissing but Orihime figured it was due to him not wanting to push her and she was thankful for that. While she loved him dearly, she was still working on her body’s response to being close to a man. Her therapist told her it was normal and would take time.

…

It was finally the day before the trial. Orihime had been sitting by her living room window all day but Ann let her stay home from school. It was a Tuesday and she knew the teen wouldn’t be focused on anything going on in class so why put her through it. Around lunchtime Ann received a text from an unknown number.

 **Unknown:** This is Kurosaki Ichigo, my dad gave me your number. Would be cool with you if I surprised Inoue tonight. I’d take her to dinner and maybe to her favorite park, just to get her out of the house and maybe even relax a bit (This text took him all morning to get right. Poor guy wasn’t sure how you speak to your girlfriend’s aunt).

 **Ann:** Shouldn’t you be class, young man? I think that’s a wonderful idea. She’s been sitting by the window all day without saying anything (Ann knew from talking to Isshin that Ichigo wasn’t one to ask permission and wanted to tease him a bit).

 **Ichigo:** I’m at lunch right now. We’ve all texted her but she hasn’t responded so I figured she was lost in her own thoughts. Can I swing by around 4? That way she can be home early.

 **Ichigo** **:** Please.

Ann laughed at the poor guy. Clearly, he was uncomfortable texting her, but she’d give him credit for respecting her as Orihime’s guardian and asking her first. She knew it was a change for everyone to have Orihime answer to someone, but everyone did a wonderful job of asking her permission.

 **Ann:** Of course, I’ll make sure she’s ready without giving anything away.

True to her word, Orihime was dressed in a pair of jeans and sweater when Ichigo knocked on the door, right at 4 pm.

Knock knock knock

“Orihime, could you please answer that?” Ann called out with a smirk.

Making her way towards the door, Orihime opened it to be graced with her boyfriend covered in blush.

Rubbing behind his neck, Ichigo offered her a large bouquet.

“Oh my goodness! Thank you Kurosaki-kun!” Orihime quickly took the offered flowers and vase to the kitchen to show her aunt. Completely forgetting to invite the man in.

“Ann-san, look at what he brought me!” The ecstatic young woman cheered with the flowers hiding her face.

“They are wonderful! Did you invite the poor man in?” Ann laughed. It was wonderful to see Orihime so excited for once.

Gasp! “Oh no!” Inoue quickly put the vase on the counter before rushing back to the door where Ichigo was still standing. When she made it back to his side he simply laughed.

“I’m glad you like them, Inoue. It’s called “Smiles and Sunshine” I wasn’t sure what to get but figured that would be perfect for today.” The brightly haired man felt the blush creeping up his face, but he didn’t care. This was about her and he’d embarrass himself if it meant she’d be happy.

“They’re perfect” she smiled as she leaned in to give him a sweet hug.

“Anyways, I’m here to take you out. Grab your shoes and coat.”

“Really? Is that okay, Ann-san?”

“Yes, he already asked me earlier. You two go have fun!” Ann called out from the kitchen.

Grabbing her coat and throwing on her flats, Orihime took Ichigo’s offered arm and made their way down the stairs of her apartment building and off to a fun dinner. It was a simple meal, light chit chat about what was happening at school, clubs, and the Kurosaki family. They were careful to leave all talk of the trial off the table.

After dinner, the two teens made their way towards the city park by the river. It was nice, the sun hadn’t set yet, but the park was vacant. Everyone was home having dinner so the two were able to enjoy themselves without fear of others overhearing them.

When they sat by the river, Ichigo pulled Orihime close to his side, wrapping his arm around her. Tomorrow was going to be hell and he knew it wasn’t going to get easy until it was over, and she could finally move on. There was something he wanted to do before that, something he wanted to say but still worried it was too soon.

_‘Agh! Why is this so complicated?’_

**It’s not. You’re just stupid.**

_‘I will fucking kill you.’_

**Keep ignoring Queen and it won’t matter what you do.**

“Kurosaki-kun?” Orihime called for the second time.

“Huh? Yeah, sorry.”

She giggled at his response before telling him to say hello to his hollow for her. “Tell Hollow-san hello for me!”

**Queeny is perfect. I can’t wait to get her into be-**

Ichigo shut the door to his hollow and focused on his girlfriend. He could do this! He needed to if he waited Orihime would always worry if his feelings were real or not.

“Is something wrong?” The young woman worried.

“No, I just… I need to tell you somethin’ but I don’t wanna pressure you into anything.”

“Okay, you can tell me anything.” She was worried the trail might be too much for him, maybe he didn’t want to go anymore?

“In- gah, this is stupid. Can I call you Orihime? Wait, before you answer, I want to call you Orihime because I love you. I don’t know how you did it but you managed to find your way into my heart. I don’t want you to ever wonder if my feelings are because of everything going on or if I’ll be there for you with the trail. I’m for you, always.” He looked directly into her eyes the whole time. He needed to her see he was being honest with her, that things sucked now but she’d have him for as long as she’d take him.

“R-really?” She gasped, completely caught off guard by his confession.

“Really.” He wasn’t sure what he expected from her but that wasn’t the response he hoped for.

“Kurosaki”

“Ichigo.”

“Ichigo-kun, I, I love you too.” Acting on instant alone, Orihime leaned in close and gently touched her lips to his.

Both froze for a moment before slowly moving their lips in a slow dance, nothing rush, never taking it too far, just sweet kisses with whispered “I love you” in between.

Whatever happened tomorrow, through the trial, and after wouldn’t matter. The two of them would be okay and she was strong enough to handle whatever life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure how to end this story, as of now I'm enjoying the idea of leaving it open so each reader can have the outcome they want but I may add to it later.  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
